Go the Distance
by yintotheyang
Summary: When Dante turns up dead, it's up to Cooper to learn who killed him. But will interviewing his six suspects, Matt, Georgie, Maxie, Spinelli, Lulu and Johnny, lead him to the truth or just confuse him more?
1. Six Striking Suspects

A/N – Alright, a new story! I am so excited about this one. It's a "who done it?" mystery story and it's my first stab at writing in the point of view style. I'll say who's point of view each chapter is from, right underneath the chapter title. This first chapter is kind of short, but it's just setting the story that is to come. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so I know if I should continue it or not!

**Chapter 1 – Six Striking Suspects**

_Cooper_

This was the murder investigation of one Detective Dante Falconeri, turned mobster Dante Corinthos, turned dead. Shot three times, once in the abdomen and twice in the chest in the alley of Jake's by his own gun. Who did it? The possibilities were endless. But I had suspects. I had six striking suspects. All with opportunity. All with motive. All very suspicious.

It's funny how a day can begin like any other day and then before you know it, you're in the middle of something life changing. Not just for you, but for everyone. For people you know and for people you don't. The person who probably experienced the most change was Dante. Going from alive to dead is a hell of a change. I knew Dante Falconeri...Corinthos...whatever. I knew him at his best and worst, but what I didn't know was which one of my suspects killed him. Ah, the suspects.

Suspect number one: Maxie Jones. When I dated Maxie she was easy and had little self confidence, but she had grown up a lot since then. Her life had direction and meaning and Dante was about three years too late with his cheesy pick up lines and never ending flirtatious attitude. But he never seemed to get the hint that Maxie didn't want him and that's what ended up making her a suspect. Everyone knew the string of insults Maxie constantly threw Dante's way and if you were looking for a suspect that hated the deceased, she was prime. But she wasn't alone in that aspect.

Suspect number two: Matt Hunter. Hunter was a decent guy and a pretty fantastic doctor who had patched me up more than once after an on-duty injury. But almost six months ago, Hunter had almost lost his right to be a doctor because of Dante. Dante had claimed malpractice and the case had almost been won, but Dante had dropped the charges at the last minute. Still, there was no shortage of bad blood between the two as a result. Dante loved to taunt Hunter and now that Dante was dead, I had to wonder if maybe Hunter finally had enough taunting.

Suspect number three: Georgie Jones. Georgie was far from a real worry for me. I mean, this was the girl next door that everyone loved and got along with. But maybe I should have reconsidered that because truthfully, if there was one person on earth that Georgie didn't like, it was Dante. She might have even hated him. Georgie constantly warned Dante to stay away from Maxie. But he never did. And I needed to consider the possibility that maybe she had decided to take matters into her own hands. Maybe "Sweet Georgie", as Spinelli called her, had decided to end the problems that Dante caused once and for all.

Suspect number four: Damien Spinelli. Now that kid wouldn't harm a fly. Not under normal circumstances. But these weren't normal circumstances and Spinelli's interesting quirks made it all the more difficult to determine if he had disliked Dante enough to cause him physical harm or not. I knew that Spinelli had some kind of relationship, apparently a serious one, with Maxie. Maybe his infatuation with Maxie was enough for him to act out against Dante. And with his unique speech it was impossible to ever tell what he was saying, much less what he might have been thinking. I really had my hands full.

Suspect number five: Lulu Spencer. She was the most interesting, well second most interesting, suspect on my list. Lulu was a colleague of mine. She was the district attorney, at least for now, of Port Charles. I wanted so badly to rule her out, but I couldn't. She had just as much motive as the others. The biggest case Lulu had taken on in the last few years had been a case against Dante. And in typical mob fashion, he managed to slip through the cracks of the system and Lulu had taken some serious heat from the mayor for not putting him behind bars. But normally, I would overlook that as motive. Had Lulu not told me once that looking into Dante's eyes made her want to knock him on his ass. Those words kept playing over in my head as I considered the possibility that Lulu might have been the one who killed Dante.

Suspect number six: Johnny Zacchara. He was my most interesting suspect. I was really interested in why he was even at Jake's that night if he wasn't there to kill Dante. Zacchara was never seen by anyone. The rumors I had always heard before said he never left his house because he was crazy, just like his old man had been. The story was told that Anthony Zacchara had been the victim of a seizure and his son had watched him die. Then proceeded to dig a hole in his mother's rose garden and throw his father in it. Then Zacchara took over the business, taking care to never leave his mansion in Crimson Pointe and never taking visitors. Completely isolating himself from the outside world. But he was at Jake's that night. The night of the murder of the son of his biggest rival. A very interesting suspect indeed.

I really had my work cut out for me. Six suspects to interview in a few hours and no real place to start. I just had to take their statements and see how their stories matched up. But since it had been a day and a half since Dante's death, there was a small possibility that they had all collaborated a story together. I had to be at the very peak of my investigative skills to decipher who was lying and who was telling the truth. I had to solve the murder and put someone in prison.

Six suspects. Six interviews. One very interesting afternoon.


	2. Lady Luck

A/N – I really appreciate all the comments I've gotten so far! It's a fun story to write and I hope it is fun to read as well! A quick note, from here on out, all flashbacks will be in italics. So, on to chapter two. Leave me a review so I know what you're thinking and who you think did it!

**Chapter 2 – Lady Luck**

_Lulu_

I really didn't want to be there. I could think of a million other places I would rather be. The interview with Cooper was completely pointless. Just a formality. I knew, even if Cooper hadn't realized it yet, that he thought Johnny Zacchara killed Dante. Cooper was only interviewing me because he thought I would incriminate Johnny in some way.

"State your name for the record please," Cooper requested.

"Lulu Spencer," I said softly.

"You can relax, Lulu," Cooper smiled and I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just get this over with," I replied.

"Okay," Cooper nodded. "Why don't you tell me why you were at Jake's on Friday night?"

"I needed to unwind," I shrugged.

"Alright, walk me through your night," Cooper directed.

I smiled, but quickly hid it. Friday night...

_I walked into Jake's and immediately called for Coleman to get me a beer. I was hoping Maxie, Georgie and I would do tequila shots later, but for now I just needed to get the alcohol in my system. I heard Maxie's laughter ring out and turned, surprised that she was already present. I was even more surprised to see Matt and Spinelli sitting at the table with her. Maxie looked up and saw me and headed over immediately. _

"_Come sit down, Lu," Maxie said, trying to tug on my arm. _

"_No thanks," I groaned, pulling my arm from her grasp. "I thought I told you I wanted a girls' night." _

"_Yeah, but I had already promised to hang out with Spinelli tonight and then I ran into Matt and I thought it would be perfect to ask him here," Maxie explained. _

"_Perfect how?" I wondered. "If you're still trying to set me up with Matt, please just stop." _

"_He's a good guy, but I learned my lesson," Maxie replied. "Now I'm trying to set him up with my sister." _

"_Oh great," I said, rolling my eyes. "So I'm going to be the fifth wheel tonight." _

"_No, no," Maxie insisted. "We'll all have a great time together." _

"_Of course we will," Georgie stated, walking in the door. _

"_No, you, your sister and your dates will," I said firmly. "I'm going to sit at the bar and finish my beer and then I'm going to leave." _

"_What date?" Georgie asked, looking around. "Matt?" _

"_I thought you two would get along well," Maxie smiled. _

"_I came here for a girls' night with Lulu," Georgie pointed out. "It wouldn't be right to hang out with Matt." _

"_No, you should," I stepped in. "I'm actually really tired, so I won't be much fun. Just go over and say hi and see where things go for you and Matt." _

"_Are you sure?" Georgie asked. _

"_Of course," I nodded. _

_It wasn't even a lie. Even though Matt and I were complete opposites and not compatible in any way, I thought he and Georgie would be great and I wanted her to have the chance to see that as well. Georgie smiled and headed for the table where Matt and Spinelli were. _

"_Please come sit with us," Maxie begged. _

"_No, I don't feel much like it," I said, shaking my head. "I think I'm going to head home soon and just relax in a bath." _

"_Well, if you change your mind, feel free to join us," Maxie said, smiling at me. _

"_Okay," I replied. _

_I watched Maxie join the others and I shook my head. I didn't really want to just go home, but I wouldn't be the odd girl out in their group. I would just sit here and drink and watch everyone else enjoying their lives and try to ignore the day from hell I had gone through._

_I had been in court for two weeks and today the verdict hadn't gone my way. It was becoming impossible to get a conviction in this town. Or maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough anymore. I had been the district attorney for almost a year and I was already drained. I had no more passion. No drive to put the guilty behind bars. Maybe my dad had been right all along and I was not cut out for the right side of the law. _

_I turned around as I heard Georgie's laughter. She and Matt really seemed to be hitting it off and I was happy for both of them. Georgie deserved a man that would treat her right. I liked to think I deserved a man like that, too. But for the night, I would settle for a man who would just look at me for me and not what I could do for them. _

"_Another beer," I called. _

"_Sure thing," Coleman smiled, setting one down in front of me. "What can I get you?" _

_I turned to my right to see who Coleman was talking to and my eyes landed on a very handsome man. I'd never seen him before, but I was happy to be seeing him then. His eyes landed on me briefly and he smiled before looking back to Coleman. _

"_Scotch," he ordered. _

"_Coming right up," Coleman replied. _

_I cut my eyes, realizing I was staring at the stranger. I took a deep breath and tried not to feel his eyes on my face. But I could feel them because they were there. Coleman walked over and placed the drink in front of him. The man whispered something to Coleman and I strained my ears, but couldn't decipher his words. Coleman simply nodded and walked away. I glanced over and met his eyes once again. Eyes that color brown should be illegal. His face was set in a ridiculously sexy smirk and I turned my head before I started to blush. _

"_Here you go," Coleman smiled, setting another drink down in front of me. _

"_What is this?" I asked, looking at the glass. _

"_It's called a Lady Luck," Coleman answered. "From the gentleman to your right." _

_I turned, slowly this time, to meet those eyes again. He had an eyebrow raised in my direction and I nodded, indicating he could take the stool next to me. He picked up his scotch and slowly approached the seat, never taking his eyes off of me. He slid onto the stool and I smiled shyly at him, turning my eyes back to my drink. _

"_So, what's in this?" I asked. _

"_Nothing tricky if that's what you're thinking," he replied. "I'm not the kind to slip anyone anything." _

"_I wasn't thinking that, but good to know," I said, looking at him again. _

_He was still staring at me like I was the most fascinating person in the world. I couldn't fight the blush from my cheeks any longer and I had to look away again. _

"_Do I make you nervous?" he wondered. _

"_I just don't know why you keep looking at me like that," I said softly. _

"_Like what?" he asked. _

"_Like you want something from me or I interest you in some way," I shrugged. _

"_It's both," he smirked. "I am very interested in you and what I want from you is you for the night." _

"_Just for the night?" I questioned and wondered where I got the boldness. _

"_To begin with," he replied coolly. _

"_So you ordered me a Lady Luck because I'm the lady who is going to get lucky tonight?" I asked. _

"_I ordered you a Lady Luck because I decided she was smiling down on me," he explained. "Because you're here and I'm here and I can tell we both want the same thing." _

"_What's that?" I wondered. _

"_To feel whole for one night," he whispered. _

"_What's in the drink?" I asked again, turning to look him in the eye. _

"_A lot, but mostly rum," he answered. _

"_Lady luck is smiling on you," I smiled. "Because rum is my favorite. I'm Lulu." _

"_Johnny," he replied simply. _

_I looked down and took the drink in my hand. I held it out and he clinked his glass against mine. We both took a drink and then smiled at each other. It was going to be an interesting night. _

"So that was the first time you had ever spoken to Johnny Zacchara?" Cooper questioned.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Did you know who he was?" Cooper wondered.

"I knew his name was Johnny," I shrugged. "I didn't care past that."

Cooper nodded and wrote something down in his notes. I shifted slightly in my chair. Cooper had a lot of questions and I could tell I was going to be there for awhile.


	3. The Fallen Detective

A/N – I am loving the comments I'm getting on this story! I hope everyone continues to guess "who done it?" because I want to know what you're all thinking! So, the flashback in this chapter starts before the one in the last chapter, as far as the time line goes. I think you'll understand and hopefully it's not too confusing, but as always, if it is, ask me and I'll be happy to answer anything I can that doesn't give story away. Okay, on to chapter three! Please leave a review!

**Chapter 3 – The Fallen Detective**

_Matt_

I noticed Cooper eying me suspiciously and I took a deep breath, trying not to waiver under his stare. This was supposed to be an interview not a staring contest.

"Are you going to start asking questions?" I wondered.

"Yeah," Cooper nodded. "I'm just making observations first."

"I'm flattered that you think I'm so good looking that you can't look away, but I have other things to do today," I snapped.

"Fine," Cooper said in compliance. "State your name."

"Matt Hunter," I sighed.

"Okay, Hunter," Cooper said, readying his pen. "Walk me through your Friday night."

I sighed again and nodded. Friday night...

"_Spinelli, would you be amazing and get me another?" Maxie asked, holding up her bottle. _

_Spinelli nodded and I watched him head off to the bar. Maxie frowned at me and smacked my arm. _

"_What?" I asked, rubbing my arm. _

"_Be nicer to Spinelli," Maxie demanded. _

"_Maybe you should tell Spinelli to try speaking a little more English," I countered. _

"_He's just being himself," Maxie insisted. "We're the ones who invited you, so straighten up or we'll ditch you." _

"_You will not," I laughed. _

"_What makes you say that?" Maxie wondered. _

"_You have an ulterior motive for bringing me in the first place," I explained. "You always do." _

"_Okay, you're right," Maxie admitted. "My sister is coming and I thought maybe the two of you would really hit it off." _

"_Setting me up again," I sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you I like the single life?" _

"_You can't be single forever," Maxie said firmly, taking her beer from Spinelli. "Take me for example. I found the love of my life and you need to start looking for yours." _

"_The Jackal must agree with Maximista," Spinelli offered. "Love is a rare flower waiting to be picked." _

_I almost literally had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from smarting off to Spinelli. Maxie was probably my best friend and I knew it pissed her off when I was sarcastic to Spinelli. But frankly, his way with words grated on my nerves and I hated people who never seemed to shut up. _

"_Hey guys, what's cracking?" Dante said loudly as he came in the door. _

_Speak of the devil. _

"_Buzz off, Dante," Maxie said, rolling her eyes. _

"_Come on, you still owe me a date," Dante said, taking a seat at our table. _

"_She owes you nothing," I growled. "Leave. No one wants you here." _

"_Very protective," Dante laughed. "Hey, Spinelli, isn't she supposedly your girl? Shouldn't you be the one protecting her honor?" _

"_Fair Maximista's honor is not at risk with the Fallen Detective because he has no honor to speak of," Spinelli replied and I laughed. _

_When you could understand the guy, Spinelli was actually pretty funny. _

"_What are you laughing at Hunter?" Dante said angrily. "You can't get Maxie away from this dork, but you know I can, so you're scared?" _

"_Please," I scoffed. "I'm not scared of you or anything you represent. I just think maybe your sorry ass could learn to show some respect." _

"_Maxie, do you think I don't respect you?" Dante asked, looking at Maxie. "Because I do. I have only pure thoughts when I look at you." _

"_You're a pig," Maxie scoffed. _

"_I think Maxie's made it obvious yet again that she doesn't want anything to do with you," I pointed out. "So do everyone a favor and leave." _

"_I'm pretty comfortable here," Dante sneered, leaning back in his chair. _

_The front two legs of the chair were off the ground and before I could think to do it myself, Maxie lifted one of her designer heels and kicked Dante's chair causing him to topple to the ground. He scrambled to stand up quickly, but it didn't matter. He was already completely embarrassed. I was only disappointed there weren't more people around to see it. _

"_What the hell was that?" Dante demanded, getting in Maxie's face. _

"_It was me making it obvious that I want you to leave me alone!" Maxie yelled. _

"_Listen, bitch," Dante started, but I stepped in between them. _

"_Enough," I said sharply. _

"_Is there a problem here?" Coleman wondered, walking over. _

"_Yes," I nodded. "Do you think you could take out the trash?" _

_I glared at Dante as I said it and he stepped closer to me. I could tell he wanted to punch me, but before he could do anything, Coleman placed a hand on his shoulder. _

"_Why don't you get what you came for?" Coleman suggested to Dante. _

_Dante nodded and turned away from all of us. He took a seat in the corner of the room and Coleman brought him a folder, a glass and a bottle of whiskey. I took my seat again and Maxie just shook her head. Spinelli glared at Dante before softly taking Maxie's hand. She nodded at him and I marveled at their meaningful, yet wordless exchange. Maybe Maxie was right. Maybe I did need to find someone. What she had with Spinelli didn't look too painful. _

"_So what did Dante come in here for?" I asked. _

"_The Fallen Detective watches over the income of this establishment for his formidable father," Spinelli explained. _

"_What does Sonny have to do with Jake's?" Maxie asked. _

"_The Godfather provides funds for our chosen house of alcohol when they are needed," Spinelli replied. _

"_What does Sonny get in exchange?" I wondered. _

"_Free inebriations whenever he desires," Spinelli answered. "And a sense of legitimacy to the Law Abiding Ones." _

"_How do you know all of that?" Maxie questioned. _

"_Research," Spinelli shrugged, smiling deviously. _

_Maxie laughed loudly and I chuckled as well. She looked over to the bar and spotted Lulu. Maxie stood up to greet her friend and I watched Spinelli watch her. Lovesick if I ever saw it. But it didn't look so bad to me anymore. _

"_Hey, Spinelli, I just wanted to make sure you know that none of what Dante said was true," I said, trying to be friendly. _

"_The Fallen Detective is known for his lying eyes," Spinelli muttered. _

"_I know," I nodded. "But I just want you to know that you're not a dork and I'm not trying to steal Maxie. We're just friends and I respect the love you two have for each other." _

"_The Jackal appreciates the sentiment of the Doting Doctor," Spinelli smiled. _

_I smiled back and looked up as Georgie came in the door. I'd never really noticed before, but she was beautiful. I looked over my shoulder and noticed Dante quickly look back down at his paperwork. If that ass would just stay in the corner and out of the way like a good dog, we could all have a good time. _

"So you never made any physical contact with Dante?" Cooper questioned.

"Maybe bumped chests slightly, but that was it," I answered.

"And Maxie was the only one there to cause him any physical harm?" Cooper asked.

"She didn't hurt anything but his pride," I corrected.

"Alright," Cooper nodded, looking down and making a note.

I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He wanted to piece it together. But he wouldn't.


	4. Mishaps and Matchmaking

A/N – I'm still in a fantastic mood from the awesome Jolu scenes we got yesterday! Fitting for this story they met at Jake's! Also, this is the first chapter that really has a lot of repeating going on. You've seen some of the conversation before, but it was from a different point of view. And everyone's own side of the story is important. So, enjoy and leave me a review! They make me very happy!

**Chapter 4 – Mishaps and Matchmaking**

_Maxie_

I used to wonder when I dated Cooper what it was like for the people he interrogated. Now I was finding out. It was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. Him trying to lull me into a false sense of security so I would say something ground breaking. Using that calm exterior to his advantage. But I knew him well enough to know that his mind was working a mile a minute and he was anything but calm.

"So you, Matt and Spinelli were all enjoying yourselves at Jake's?" Cooper asked.

"We were," I answered shortly.

"And what exactly did that entail?" Cooper questioned.

"Mostly just talking," I replied.

"Did someone interrupt you?" Cooper inquired.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Who?" Cooper asked, preparing his pen.

"Dante," I whispered...

"_Hey guys, what's cracking?" Dante asked, walking into the bar. _

_I immediately groaned just at the sound of his voice. There was no one else as annoying as Dante in the entire world. _

"_Buzz off," I said, rolling my eyes. _

"_Come on, you still owe me a date," Dante said in what I assumed to be his seductive voice. _

_Sounded more like a squealing pig to me. _

"_She owes you nothing," Matt cut in. "Leave. No one wants you here." _

"_Very protective," Dante laughed. "Hey, Spinelli, isn't she supposedly your girl? Shouldn't you be the one protecting her honor?" _

_My fist clenched under the table at his taunting nature. If Matt's quick temper with Spinelli made me mad, Dante's belittlement of him made me livid. _

"_Fair Maximista's honor is not at risk with the Fallen Detective because he has no honor to speak of," Spinelli replied and I smiled at him. _

"_What are you laughing at Hunter?" Dante said angrily. "You can't get Maxie away from this dork, but you know I can, so you're scared?" _

_If I knew Matt, and I did, things were about to get ugly. He hated Dante as much as the rest of us, but he wasn't like Spinelli or me. Matt hated with his fists. _

"_Please," Matt scoffed. "I'm not scared of you or anything you represent. I just think maybe your sorry ass could learn to show some respect." _

"_Maxie, do you think I don't respect you?" Dante asked, looking at me. "Because I do. I have only pure thoughts when I look at you." _

_He was so grotesque. That sick smile on his face when he said the word pure was enough to make me physically ill. _

"_You're a pig," I quipped. _

"_I think Maxie's made it obvious yet again that she doesn't want anything to do with you," Matt pointed out. "So do everyone a favor and leave." _

"_I'm pretty comfortable here," Dante sneered, leaning back in his chair. _

_I had experienced more than enough of Dante and his ever running mouth, so when I saw the front of his chair lift off the floor, I used my foot to push it back. I smiled in delight as I got the result I was looking for and Dante toppled to the floor. His face turned red, half angry, half embarrassed. I smirked at him as he got to his feet and tried to intimidate me by stepping into my personal space. _

"_What the hell was that?" Dante demanded. _

"_It was me making it obvious that I want you to leave me alone!" I yelled. _

"_Listen, bitch," Dante started, but Matt got between us. _

"_Enough," Matt said and I knew from his tone he was a second away from punching Dante in the face. _

"_Is there a problem here?" Coleman wondered, walking over. _

"_Yes," Matt nodded. "Do you think you could take out the trash?" _

_Matt and Dante continued to glare at each other, but Coleman, ever the peace keeper, put a hand on Dante's shoulder. _

"_Why don't you get what you came for?" Coleman suggested to Dante. _

_Dante did as he was told and I watched Coleman set him up at a table in the corner. Spinelli and Matt were both angry and both showing it. I was just annoyed. Matt sat down and Spinelli grabbed my hand, silently asking me if I was okay. I nodded at him and felt myself relax at his gesture. _

"_So what did Dante come in here for?" Matt asked. _

"_The Fallen Detective watches over the income of this establishment for his formidable father," Spinelli explained. _

"_What does Sonny have to do with Jake's?" I asked. _

"_The Godfather provides funds for our chosen house of alcohol when they are needed," Spinelli replied. _

_I found that odd. Sonny didn't do anything without getting something in return. _

"_What does Sonny get in exchange?" Matt wondered. _

_Great minds think alike. _

"_Free inebriations whenever he desires," Spinelli answered. "And a sense of legitimacy to the Law Abiding Ones." _

"_How do you know all of that?" I questioned. _

"_Research," Spinelli shrugged, smiling deviously. _

_I laughed freely and leaned my head back. I noticed Lulu looking at me from the bar and I shot out of my seat to go talk to her. _

"_Come sit down, Lu," I said, trying to pull her out of her seat. _

"_No thanks," Lulu groaned, pulling her arm from my grasp. "I thought I told you I wanted a girls' night." _

_I felt bad because she had asked for that. And she looked like she needed one. _

"_Yeah, but I had already promised to hang out with Spinelli tonight and then I ran into Matt and I thought it would be perfect to ask him here," I explained. _

"_Perfect how?" Lulu wondered. "If you're still trying to set me up with Matt, please just stop." _

"_He's a good guy, but I learned my lesson," I replied. "Now I'm trying to set him up with my sister." _

_I'd had the brilliant idea to play matchmaker with Matt and Georgie earlier that afternoon. So when Lulu had called me to set up a girls' night while I was talking to Matt and said she was inviting Georgie, I knew it was written in the stars. _

"_Oh great," Lulu said, rolling her eyes. "So I'm going to be the fifth wheel tonight." _

"_No, no," I denied. "We'll all have a great time together." _

"_Of course we will," Georgie stated, walking in the door. _

_I looked at Lulu and could tell she was less than thrilled. I had made her a little bit of a fifth wheel, but it was completely unintentional. _

"_No, you, your sister and your dates will," Lulu said and I wondered if she was mad at me. "I'm going to sit at the bar and finish my beer and then I'm going to leave." _

"_What date?" Georgie asked, looking around. "Matt?" _

"_I thought you two would get along well," I smiled. _

"_I came here for a girls' night with Lulu," Georgie pointed out. "It wouldn't be right to hang out with Matt." _

_Georgie was always such a compassionate person. I could learn from her. _

"_No, you should," Lulu stepped in. "I'm actually really tired, so I won't be much fun. Just go over and say hi and see where things go for you and Matt." _

"_Are you sure?" Georgie asked. _

"_Of course," Lulu nodded. _

_I could tell Lulu sincerely wanted Matt and Georgie to have a good time. But I could also tell that she wasn't tired and was only being a good friend. Georgie smiled at Lulu and headed toward the table where the boys were. _

"_Please come sit with us," I begged. _

"_No, I don't feel much like it," Lulu said, shaking her head. "I think I'm going to head home soon and just relax in a bath." _

_I could tell she was lying, but I didn't want to press her. That would only make her more frustrated. _

"_Well, if you change your mind, feel free to join us," I said, smiling at her. _

"_Okay," Lulu replied. _

_I walked back to the table and smiled to myself because Matt and Georgie already seemed to be hitting it off. _

"_What do you say the four of us play a game of pool?" I suggested. _

"_What about Fair Lulu?" Spinelli questioned. _

"_She said she didn't feel like it," I shrugged, trying not to focus on my friend's disappointed face. _

"_Well, it sounds good to me," Matt spoke up. "Me and Georgie versus you and Spinelli?" _

"_I don't think you want me on your team," Georgie admitted sheepishly. "I'm terrible." _

"_So is Spinelli," Matt laughed. "This way we'll be even." _

_I laughed and headed for the pool tables. I glanced to the corner and saw that Dante was still there. I only hoped he wouldn't make another scene. _

"Why didn't you push Lulu to play with you?" Cooper asked.

"Because she's stubborn and I knew it would make matters worse," I replied.

"So you decided to just go on without her?" Cooper questioned. "Don't you think that hurt her feelings?"

"I don't see what my friendship with Lulu has to do with this interview," I said, crossing my arms.

"So it did hurt you two?" Cooper asked again.

"It's not your business," I said defiantly.

"Fine," Cooper sighed, writing something down.

This was all getting out of control. Cooper's questions weren't what I expected. And being unprepared for the interview could be costly.


	5. Fate

A/N – Here is the latest chapter! I hope you all enjoy and please leave me a review so I know what you think!

**Chapter 5 - Fate**

_Johnny_

You'd think that I would have had more experience with police interrogation, but I didn't. It was my first time to sit across from a police officer who was glaring at me, already assuming my guilt. I hated being trapped in the room and I considered confessing just to end the session.

"So what made you go to Jake's?" Cooper asked.

"I wanted a drink," I answered.

"Had you ever been to Jake's before?" Cooper questioned.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"How did you know about it?" Cooper inquired.

"I just saw it while I was driving," I explained.

"So you went inside and did what?" Cooper wondered.

"Ordered my drink," I replied.

"Did you speak to anyone?" Cooper asked.

I tried not to smile. He already knew the answer to this question. But I decided to tell him the story anyway...

_I walked into Jake's and my eyes immediately rested on a gorgeous blonde sitting alone at the bar. The bartender sat a beer in front of her and turned to me. I managed to tear my eyes away from my blonde beauty and look over at him. _

"_What can I get you?" the bartender asked as I took another glance at her. _

"_Scotch," I muttered. _

"_Coming right up," he replied. _

_I could feel her staring at me and I turned to look at her. She moved her head quickly so she was staring aimlessly at the bar in front of her and I could feel something. I didn't know exactly what it was, but it felt like a magnetic force pulling me to her. The bartender placed my drink down in front of me and I leaned closer to him. _

"_You make mixed drinks?" I asked and he nodded. "Make a Lady Luck for the blonde a few stools over. On me." _

_He nodded again and went to make the drink. I went back to staring at my blonde and I could tell I was making her squirm. But not in a way that she was mad or scared. She could feel the pull between us, too. She glanced at me and I noticed the intrigue in her eyes. Her cheeks started to redden and she turned away, probably hoping I hadn't noticed. I had. _

_I watched as Coleman set her Lady Luck in front of her. She asked about it and he pointed in my direction. She turned to me slowly and I asked her with my eyes if I could take the stool next to her. She nodded and I grabbed my scotch and took my new seat. She smiled at me softly, before turning away and I could feel my heartbeat quicken slightly. _

"_So, what's in this?" she asked. _

"_Nothing tricky if that's what you're thinking," I replied defensively. "I'm not the kind to slip anyone anything." _

"_I wasn't thinking that, but good to know," she said, meeting my eyes. _

_She started blushing more profusely and she looked away again. I seemed to have an effect on her. She definitely had one on me. _

"_Do I make you nervous?" I asked. _

"_I just don't know why you keep looking at me like that," she muttered. _

"_Like what?" I wondered. _

"_Like you want something from me or I interest you in some way," she explained. _

_I really wasn't sure how to respond, but I decided a direct approach might be best. _

"_It's both," I answered. "I am very interested in you and what I want from you is you for the night." _

"_Just for the night?" she questioned and I tilted my head to the side. _

"_To begin with," I replied, not wanting to pressure her. _

"_So you ordered me a Lady Luck because I'm the lady who is going to get lucky tonight?" she asked. _

_She was direct and I knew I had to answer carefully. I didn't want her to think I saw her as cheap or anything like that because I didn't. But I was attracted to her and I knew she was attracted to me._

"_I ordered you a Lady Luck because I decided she was smiling down on me," I explained. "Because you're here and I'm here and I can tell we both want the same thing."_

"_What's that?" she wondered. _

"_To feel whole for one night," I whispered. _

_I studied her face as she took in my words and smiled when I realized she wasn't going to deny this feeling between us. _

"_What's in the drink?" she asked, turning to look at me. _

"_A lot, but mostly rum," I answered, my eyes roaming over her face. _

"_Lady luck is smiling on you," she smiled. "Because rum is my favorite. I'm Lulu." _

"_Johnny," I said quickly. _

_She picked up her drink and held it up to me. I took my drink and clinked it with her glass. As we took a drink, I watched her. She was so beautiful. She smiled at me and I returned it automatically. _

"_So what brings you here tonight, Johnny?" Lulu asked. _

"_I was out for a drive and saw the neon lights," I explained. "And something told me to stop." _

"_You know, before you came in, I was about to leave," Lulu mused. "I'm glad I hadn't left yet." _

_She smiled coyly at me and I considered myself the luckiest man in the world. This was fate if I'd ever seen it. _

"_You know, if you had left, I wouldn't have stayed," I muttered. "You're what kept me here." _

"_Is that so?" Lulu laughed. _

"_Yeah," I nodded, laughing as well. _

_I noticed we had both finished our drinks, so I ordered two more from the bartender, who Lulu told me was named Coleman. There were only a few other people in the bar, so I wasn't too worried about someone recognizing me. I just wanted to have fun with Lulu. Our second round of drinks were placed in front of us and I thanked Coleman. _

"_So, do you like your drink?" I asked. _

"_Mm, yes," Lulu smiled, taking a sip. "I've never been one for mixed drinks, but this tastes amazing." _

"_I'm glad you like it," I said softly, just taking in her presence. _

"_So, are you like a drink expert or something?" Lulu wondered. _

"_I used to work as a bartender on the weekends for cash," I answered. "Short term thing, but I learned some popular drinks." _

"_So, did a lot of people order a Lady Luck?" Lulu questioned, smiling at me. _

_I paused before answering, slightly disoriented because of her smile. It was unfair that all she had to do was smile at me and I was completely paralyzed. She blinked at me a few times, obviously waiting for me to answer and I quickly got my thoughts in order. _

"_No, no one did really," I answered. "But the boss would have one every night before opening." _

"_For luck?" Lulu asked and I nodded. _

"_And we always did well," I continued. "So I thought I would try it with you." _

"_And you did well," Lulu whispered, blushing slightly. _

"_You're beautiful," I said, much to the surprise of us both. _

"_Thanks," Lulu muttered, her blush spreading down her neck. _

_I followed the color as it spread with my eyes and allowed myself to take her in fully for the first time. I hadn't looked past her face until now because the beauty there had captivated me. But now that I did, I noticed curves that had my mouth watering. She was wearing a fitted, sleeveless blouse that exposed just enough to keep you coming back for more and tight jeans that showed off her trim legs. I looked into her eyes again and saw her smirking at me. She'd caught me staring, yet I didn't really mind. _

"_And sexy," I said, winking at her. _

"_You're not so bad yourself," Lulu breathed, looking away from my hungry gaze. _

"_Dance with me?" I asked, standing up. _

"_Okay," Lulu agreed, standing up as well. _

_I saw someone by the juke box hit the button to play a song, just as Lulu put her hand in mine. We walked a few steps away from the bar and I pulled her in close. It seemed crazy because we barely knew each other, but I locked my hands at her hips and hers draped around my neck like it was the most natural thing in the world. I smiled as "Unchained Melody" rang out through the speakers. Lulu smiled at me and then leaned her head against my chest. She fit perfectly in my arms. As if the spot was made only for her. _

"_I like this song," Lulu muttered against my chest. _

"_Me too," I agreed, swaying softly to the music. _

"_Did you ever see that movie? You know with the couple and the pottery and this song was playing?" Lulu asked. _

"_Yeah," I answered. _

"_I know it's weird, but I feel like that," Lulu said softly. _

"_Like what?" I wondered. _

"_I don't know," she said, looking up at me. "She fit with him. Like his arms were kind of meant to hold her. I feel like that...with you." _

_She really did feel it, too. I could tell she was waiting for my response and I didn't have a verbal one. I leaned down and met her lips slowly, never stopping the motion of my feet. We kissed as we danced and her lips glided with mine gently. And I knew right then, I was a goner. _

"Do you make it a common practice to try and seduce women you meet in bars?" Cooper asked, cutting into my story.

I stared at him coldly, daring him to suggest again that I had set out to use Lulu.

"No," I replied.

"So why did you target Lulu?" Cooper wondered.

This guy was a piece of work. He was already drawing up my charges in his head.

"I didn't target her," I said, trying to stay calm. "It was fate."

"I'm supposed to think you believe in fate?" Cooper asked, laughing slightly.

"I don't care what you think," I stated.

He nodded to himself and I sighed, shutting my eyes tightly. This wasn't looking good.


	6. The Mysterious Suitor

A/N – Here is the newest chapter. It's from Spinelli's point of view and frankly was kind of hard to write! LOL! If the Spinelli speak is hard to understand, I apologize but I tried to do it as honestly as I could. If you're too confused, as always feel free to ask! Enjoy and please leave a review!

**Chapter 6 – The Mysterious Suitor**

_Spinelli_

I really dreaded the proceedings of the interview with the Irritating Investigator. Thus, the process was hindered by my insecurities as to the nature of it. The Irritating Investigator looked at me as if I had multiple brain vessels about my shoulders.

"Just answer the question," he demanded.

"The Jackal answered the inquiry of the Law Abiding One," I muttered.

"Answer it again," the Irritating Investigator seethed. "Did you see Maxie hurt Dante?"

"The Fallen Detective was not damaged by the Fair Maximista," I insisted.

"And by the Fallen Detective you mean Dante?" he asked.

"Correct," I answered.

"Alright, so what did you do after Georgie came to Jake's?" the Irritating Investigator asked.

"Once Sweet Georgie joined the Doting Doctor, Maximista and myself, we all decided to participate in an age old past time of the visitors to our choice of establishment," I explained.

"You played pool?" he questioned.

"Precisely," I nodded...

"_Who's going to shoot first?" Maximista asked. _

"_You and I can fight for it," the Doting Doctor replied. "You know how it goes." _

_Maximista nodded and they stood beside each other, each striking their ball. Sweet Georgie and I watched as the contest began and ended. I wasn't sure as to what had happened, but judging by the squeal of my Fair Maximista, something fortuitous for us had occurred. _

"_Lucky shot," the Doting Doctor grumbled. _

"_Expert shot," Maximista countered. _

"_Alright, I think it's only fair that Spinelli breaks," the Doting Doctor said decisively. _

"_Only if Georgie takes the first shot for your side," Maximista replied. _

"_We are standing right here," Sweet Georgie cut in. _

"_Yes, perhaps the Jackal and Sweet Georgie could have a say," I added. _

"_Sure," Maximista agreed. _

"_What do you want to do, Spinelli?" Sweet Georgie asked. _

"_I concur with whatever my Fair Maximista's heart desires," I said, smiling at Maximista. _

"_You're a lot of help," the Doting Doctor laughed and Maximista glared at him. _

"_Thank you, Spinelli," Maximista said sweetly. "What about you Georgie?" _

"_I think you two should decide," Sweet Georgie shrugged. _

"_I like our plan," the Doting Doctor said, turning to Maximista. "What about you?" _

"_Agreed," Maximista nodded. "Spinelli, step up and do your best." _

_I smiled toward my lovely Maximista and prepared to show her my manly prowess through the game she loved so much. While I was not successful in the beginning, my skill became evident when I struck the victorious ball. Once the game had been terminated, Maximista headed for the maker of music to play a rhythm for us to sway to. I looked toward the bar, expecting to find it empty, but instead saw Fair Lulu and what seemed to be a perspective suitor. _

_A sweet melody rang out through the air and Fair Maximista gracefully found her way to my side. Knowing I was of troubled feet, she had chosen a slow song for our dance. My arms encircled Maximista and she fell to my embrace, as I began moving slowly and carefully, not wanting to cause upheaval by tripping. I couldn't help my wandering eyes from landing on Fair Lulu and her suitor who were dancing to the special melody as well. _

"_Does my lovely Maximista recognize the object of Fair Lulu's affections?" I asked, nodding toward Fair Lulu. _

"_What?" Maximista's asked with wide eyes, looking over her shoulder at Fair Lulu and her suitor. "No, I've never seen him before." _

"_Perhaps he is an acquaintance of Fair Lulu's that she has not spoken of previously?" I suggested. _

"_If Lulu knew someone that hot she would talk about him more often," Maximista commented. _

_My facial expression must have betrayed my inner thoughts because Maximista immediately frowned. _

"_Not that I have a thing for the guy she's dancing with," Maximista said defensively. "I love you." _

"_And the Jackal's heart is only yours," I replied, smiling. _

_I constantly doubted my ability to hold Maximista's affection because of my lacking virility. My own insecurities had plagued our relationship in the past, but no longer. Maximista was excellent at reminding me her love was only mine to keep. _

"_So, I wonder who he is," Maximista said softly, staring at Fair Lulu. "She seems really into him." _

"_Hopefully an appropriate suitor that will make the Blonde One as happy as she deserves," I wished. _

"_Wow! She is all over him," Maximista said, turning us so she could watch Fair Lulu and her potential love. _

"_What is occurring?" I asked. _

"_They're kissing!" Maximista whispered urgently. "Lulu never moves that fast with a guy." _

"_Surely Maximista was mistaken regarding a previous relationship between the Passionate Pair," I whispered back. _

"_No, I know Lulu doesn't have a guy in her life," Maximista argued. "She is totally just going for it with a stranger." _

"_Well, Fair Lulu knows her own heart," I shrugged, looking at Maximista. _

"_No, she doesn't," Maximista sighed. "I'm afraid she's going to get herself hurt." _

"_The Jackal has always known Fair Lulu to proceed with as much caution as necessary where matters of love are concerned," I offered. _

"_She does, she does," Maximista said, more to herself than me. "I just can't help but worry that she's getting into this thinking she can do a one night stand when I know Lulu's not that kind of girl." _

"_The Jackal believes that Fair Lulu will use adequate judgment and not betray her feminine values with this potential suitor," I smiled. _

"_You're right," Maximista nodded. "I have to believe that Lulu will keep her self respect, just as she always has. But, I'm still a little worried. I can't help it." _

"_Fair Maximista need not worry," I soothed. "Everything will occur as it should and Fair Lulu will become stronger no matter what the outcome of her exchange with the unknown suitor." _

_She leaned against me once more and my eye caught the Fallen Detective in the corner of the room. He was glowering at everyone gathered in the alcoholic establishment and I shook my head. While I appreciated the Doting Doctor's ability to protect Maximista physically, I wished I could handle the Fallen Detective myself. His ungentlemanly ways were not suitable for the presence of my Maximista. _

"_Forget about him," Maximista smiled, catching my glare. "He's just jealous that we're all happy and he's not." _

"_And he shall never live to be happy," I concluded. _

"How did you know Dante wouldn't live to be happy?" the Irritating Interrogator asked.

"A lifestyle so shallow as his was never to be rewarded," I explained.

"Really?" he questioned. "Because it sounds to me like you planned on killing him."

"The Jackal begs to differ," I replied.

"You said you were angry with Dante because of how he treated Maxie and you wanted to do something about it," the Irritating Interrogator surmised. "Then he winds up dead. I can sell that to a jury faster than a Girl Scout sells Thin Mints."

I was most frustrated at this point. The Irritating Interrogator was more than proving himself worthy of the nickname. And quite unfortunately, he had painted a scene of me as the murderer which I could not discount.


	7. Possessive

A/N – I really love that people love this story. I have a great time writing the mystery in this story! Thank you all for reading and please leave me a comment so I know how you feel about this chapter!

**Chapter 7 – Possessive**

_Lulu_

I drummed my fingers anxiously against the desk as Cooper wrote down something I had said. What did I say to interest him? Was it a good thing or a bad thing?

"Okay, so what happened after you and Zacchara met?" Cooper questioned.

"We talked a little and had a few drinks," I replied.

"What did you talk about?" Cooper asked.

"Nothing major," I said, pretending not to remember the details.

The truth was, I could recite every word Johnny had ever said to me.

"Alright, what happened after you had drinks?" Cooper wondered.

"We danced," I muttered, getting lost in the memory...

_I put my hand in Johnny's and realized that it was our first skin-to-skin contact. And it was amazing. His hand was rough, yet gentle and I felt safe. He pulled me to him and I settled my arms around his neck. His hands held my waist and to anyone else we probably looked like long term lovers rather than virtual strangers. I was so comfortable in his arms and I had a fleeting thought that I should stay there with him forever. _

"_Unchained Melody" began to play and Johnny started moving us slowly to the music. I smiled at him before leaning my head against his chest, hoping to hear his heartbeat. I wanted to know if his was beating as fast as mine. I wanted to know if he was feeling what I felt: that our bodies were made for each other. _

"_I like this song," I muttered into his chest. _

"_Me too," he replied and I could feel his eyes on me. _

"_Did you ever see that movie?" I asked. "You know with the couple and the pottery and this song was playing?" _

"_Yeah," he answered. _

_I didn't know if I should say what I was feeling, but I wanted to. Worst case scenario, I scared him off. But if he was going to run, I wanted him to do it before anything happened between us. It would be bearable that way. _

"_I know it's weird, but I feel like that," I noted. _

"_Like what?" he asked. _

_I could still back out. If he really didn't know what I was talking about, I could make something up and he would never know the thoughts or feelings I was having. But a Spencer never backs out or down. _

"_I don't know," I sighed, looking into his eyes. "She fit with him. Like his arms were kind of meant to hold her. I feel like that...with you." _

_He didn't respond and for a second I thought I had embarrassed myself. But only for a second because soon he was responding. In the form of lowering his head to mine and catching my lips in a tender kiss. He never stopped dancing and I felt like I was a part of my own romantic movie. There we were, dancing to one of my favorite songs and kissing like there was no tomorrow. It was perfect. _

_At some point, we did stop moving and the kiss became more passionate. My fingers were in his hair and his hands were roaming my back as his lips continued to assault mine. His kiss was just like his touch. Rough yet gentle. And I loved the contrast. I continued to kiss him, never seeming to need a breath or thinking of the prying eyes of my friends in the room. Johnny was the only one in my world in the moments that our lips and tongues collided. _

_Slowly, he pulled away, a dazed expression that had to match mine on his face. I was panting hard and already longing to have his lips on mine again. His hand ran up my arm and settled on the crook of my neck and I sighed as he traced his thumb over my jaw line, his other arm still firmly holding my body close to his. _

"_I don't know what to say," Johnny muttered, his eyes seemingly peering into my soul. _

"_What does that mean?" I wondered, letting my hands play with the collar of his shirt. _

"_It means you left me speechless," Johnny whispered, caressing my face with his hand. _

"_That's a good thing, right?" I asked, needing to hear him say it. _

_I needed him to verbally admit to feeling what I was feeling. I needed him to feel what I was feeling. I couldn't be in it alone. _

"_It's a very good thing," Johnny smiled, brushing his lips against mine again. "You're amazing." _

"_You're not so bad yourself," I replied, kissing him lightly again. "Would you excuse me for just a few minutes?" _

_He nodded and I took my leave for a few moments before returning to his side. I found him sitting at the bar again. Another song was playing and Spinelli and Maxie and Matt and Georgie were all still dancing. I took my seat next to him and he took my hand immediately. _

"_Missed you," Johnny said sweetly, kissing my hand. _

"_I missed you, too," I replied, leaning in to kiss him. _

_His hand left mine to touch my face as we kissed. It was so easy kissing him and touching him. I tried to remind myself that I knew nothing about him, but it was no use. I couldn't fight my feelings. _

"_So, do you want another drink?" Johnny asked, pulling away. _

"_Sure," I nodded. _

_He called to Coleman and ordered more drinks for us. I noticed some girl approach the bar and glance at Johnny. My hand immediately found his thigh in a possessive nature and she looked away, placing some money on the bar for her drinks and walking out. _

"_Did you need something?" Johnny wondered, looking at me. _

"_No, why do you ask?" I questioned. _

"_You just touched me kind of suddenly," Johnny smirked. "What? Can't keep your hands off me?" _

"_Something like that," I muttered, leaning over and kissing him deeply. _

_He pulled away, still smirking slightly and placed his hand on my back. He acknowledged Coleman as new drinks were placed in front of us. I started to move my hand that was on his leg so I could grab my glass, but he stopped me. He put my hand back on his leg and grinned at me in a way that could only be described as heart-stopping. _

"_I like you touching me possessively," Johnny said, touching my hand that was again on his lap. "I find it very sexy that you want to make sure people know I'm yours tonight. Use your other hand to drink." _

_I honestly didn't know what to say, but I wasn't going to deny it. I did want people to know he was mine. _

"_So, why do you have your hand on my back?" I wondered. _

"_Because you're mine tonight," Johnny said simply. _

"_I don't think anyone's questioning that," I pointed out, looking around. "The only other guys in here are already occupied." _

"_I'm not doing it for their benefit," Johnny whispered, his smirk reappearing on his face. "I'm making sure you know you're mine." _

"_Oh, I know," I whispered, leaning closer to him. "And I can't wait." _

_He seemed to be turned on by my bravado and he kissed me a little more forcefully than he had before. His hand on my back was pulling me closer to him and I was about to fall off of my stool. I abruptly stopped the kiss and moved away to look at him. He looked a little confused and I relaxed him with a smile. _

"_I mean it," I said softly. "I can't wait. There are rooms upstairs." _

_His eyes turned dark and he kissed me again. My hand that had been resting on his leg ran upwards and around his waist, pulling him closer to me this time. He broke the kiss, staring at me hungrily and I fought myself, not wanting to blush in that moment. _

"_Why don't you talk to Coleman and get us a room?" Johnny suggested. "I have to make a quick call, but then I'm all set." _

"_Don't be long," I warned playfully as he stood up. _

_He responded by putting both hands on my face and kissing me so fully, my toes curled. He was perfect. I bit his lip playfully and he pulled away chuckling and turned to walk away for privacy during his phone call. I walked over to where Coleman was standing by the juke box and smiled. _

"_I need a key to your best room upstairs," I requested. _

"_Now, Lesley Lu, you know that my best room upstairs doesn't meet your standards," Coleman laughed. _

"_I know this isn't a five star hotel, but they're clean, right?" I asked. _

"_Yes, and up to safety codes," Coleman nodded. _

"_Okay, so give me the key to the one that you think I'll enjoy the most," I replied. _

"_Alright," Coleman agreed and walked behind the bar. "Here you go." _

"_Thank you," I smiled, taking the key he stretched out to me. _

"_All set, I see," Johnny whispered in my ear, turning me to face him. _

"_All set indeed," I breathed, kissing him teasingly. _

_I frowned in confusion as Johnny took a seat at the bar. He tugged on my hand, asking me to set next to him. I complied, but I was wondering why we weren't heading upstairs. _

"_Is something wrong?" I asked. _

"_Not at all," Johnny answered. "I just want you to be sure about things. I got to thinking maybe I pressured you into this." _

"_You didn't," I insisted. _

"_Are you sure?" Johnny wondered. "Because from the start I've been pretty straight forward about wanting you and I'm worried that maybe you feel obligated or something." _

"_Wow, I'm glad you think so highly of me," I said sarcastically, but he squeezed my hand. _

"_I do think highly of you," Johnny said softly. "That's why I want to know you're sure. Because the last thing I want is for you to regret me in the morning." _

"_I won't," I whispered, kissing Johnny briefly. _

"_You must think I'm crazy for bringing this up," Johnny laughed slightly. _

"_No, I think you're a gentleman," I corrected. "But I don't need you to be a gentleman anymore tonight." _

"_What do you need me to be?" he asked, the hunger back in his eyes. _

_Before I could answer, there was a commotion in the doorway to Jake's and my eyes flashed to the face of Cooper who entered looking very serious. _

"_No one move," Cooper ordered. "There was a report of gun fire in the area." _

"_What?" someone asked. _

"_Barrett, we have a victim," another cop called from the back door. "Three gun shot wounds." _

_I immediately felt the loss of Johnny's hand as his face turned to stone. This was not good. _

"So where did you go?" Cooper asked, looking at me intently.

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"After you danced with Zacchara you said you went somewhere, but didn't say where," Cooper clarified. "Where did you go?"

"Oh," I said softly. "I...um...wanted to freshen up."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Cooper questioned.

"It didn't seem important," I answered, maybe too quickly.

"Alright," Cooper sighed. "Where did Zacchara go while you spoke to Coleman?"

"I don't know," I replied and Cooper frowned.

"Come on, Lulu," Cooper urged.

"I honestly don't know," I maintained. "I was focused on other things. All I know is he said he went to make a quick phone call."

"Was he gone long enough to shoot Dante?" Cooper asked directly.

"Please, that's a stretch, even for you," I laughed.

"That's not an answer," Cooper pointed out.

"Am I supposed to know how long it takes to shoot someone three times?" I questioned.

"I don't know, do you know how long it takes to shoot someone three times?" Cooper wondered.

Well played.


	8. A Breath of Fresh Air

A/N – So, I put a few details in here about Georgie's life, which of course I just sort of made up off the top of my head. So, let's say that she and Dillon never dated, but were friends before he moved away to pursue a career of your choice. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, on to the next chapter. Please leave me a lovely comment and a guess about who killed Dante.

**Chapter 8 – A Breath of Fresh Air**

_Georgie_

I couldn't believe I was being questioned in a murder investigation. And not just questioned, I was a suspect. Sitting across from Cooper, I felt like my head was two sizes too big. Why else would he be looking at me like that?

"Is the interview over?" I asked softly, trying to break the silence.

"Not even close," Cooper replied, looking down at his notes.

Then why wasn't he asking questions. His silence was making me nervous. It was like I had said something he was thinking about. And that wasn't good.

"What happened while you, Hunter, Spinelli and Maxie played pool?" Cooper asked.

"Nothing much," I muttered...

"_So, you do realize that Maxie is going to kick our asses, right?" I asked, looking at Matt. _

"_You doubting my skills?" Matt wondered. _

"_I just know how good she is," I laughed, watching Maxie easily work the table. _

"_Did you notice who is here?" Matt asked, nodding toward the corner. _

"_Ugh, great, what is he doing here?" I questioned, spotting Dante. _

"_Now he's apparently doing something for Sonny," Matt replied. "Earlier he was hitting on your sister, yet again." _

"_Does he ever learn?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "I hope Maxie knocked him on his ass." _

"_Actually she did," Matt laughed. _

"_What?" I wondered. _

"_She kicked his chair over and he fell flat on his ass," Matt explained and I started laughing. _

"_What's so funny?" Maxie asked, looking up from the almost cleared table._

"_You going all warrior princess on that ass over there," I replied, nodding towards Dante. _

"_Ah, good times," Maxie smiled, going back to dominating the game of pool. _

"_I really wish he would just go away," I sighed, turning back to Matt. _

"_I do, too," Matt replied, turning to see Maxie finally miss. _

"_I get to take a shot," I said happily, walking closer to the table. _

_I lined it up the best I could, but missed as I usually did. Spinelli stepped up to take the final shot as Maxie encouraged him. I expected him to miss, but he calmed his nerves and sunk the shot, ending the game. Maxie cheered and kissed him and I laughed at the look of happiness on Spinelli's face just because he pleased her. _

"_Let's all dance," Maxie suggested, pulling away from Spinelli. "I'll choose a song." _

_She hurried over to the juke box and I turned to Matt. He looked uneasy and I felt the same way. I liked Matt, but I didn't want to rush into anything. _

_"We don't have to dance if you don't want," I offered. _

"_No, it's fine," Matt smiled. "Unless you don't want to." _

"_No, I want to," I replied, stepping closer to him. _

_His hands found my waist and I gently touched his shoulders. Maxie's song choice was a little extreme considering Matt and I were sharing our first dance. "Unchained Melody" continued and Matt started moving us slightly to the music, looking a little uncomfortable at the song choice as well. I noticed Dante walk towards the back of the bar and I wondered if he would be back. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't. _

"_So, how was your day?" Matt asked, trying to make small talk to break the awkwardness brought on by Maxie's song choice. _

"_Pretty good," I answered. "Just a normal day at the office. Working at ELQ is never normal, though. What about you?" _

"_I had a couple of surgeries this morning and then rounds this afternoon," Matt replied. "So, what exactly do you do at ELQ?" _

"_I pretty much manage all of their finances," I explained. "They have so many different divisions of the company that have to be organized. It's not as if the Quartermaine's could ever run out of money, but they still have a strict budget, so I have to make sure each piece of the company is following that budget." _

"_Wow, Maxie always said you were smart, but doing that makes you sound like a genius to me," Matt smiled. _

_I smiled back at him as we danced. Conversation was easy with him. I wondered why neither Matt nor I had suggested this before. We had always been acquaintances through Maxie and even though Matt was a couple of years older than me, it felt natural to be around him. _

"_So, did you have brain surgeries today?" I asked. _

"_No," Matt shook his head. "If I worked at a larger hospital I could specialize in neurosurgery but here in Port Charles, you have to be able to do general surgery as well. Today I did an appendectomy and removed a noncancerous growth. Romantic talk, I know." _

"_No, it's interesting," I assured him. "I used to think I wanted to be a surgeon and then I realized that blood wasn't my best friend." _

"_Yeah, if you don't like blood, surgery would not be fun," Matt laughed. _

_I smiled at the sound of his laughter. Matt excused himself for a moment and I decided to get a breath of fresh air. A few minutes later, Matt and I were back on the dance floor. The song had changed and we were more relaxed. I was actually having a lot of fun and I couldn't help but be a little surprised by that fact. I glanced over his shoulder to see if Lulu was still around, feeling slightly guilty that I was having a good time without her on what was supposed to be a girls' night. I saw that she was still there, but she certainly seemed to be having a good time of her own. She was looking very close with some guy I didn't recognize and just when I thought she couldn't get any closer, she leaned in and kissed him. _

"_Wow," I muttered and Matt looked at me questioningly. _

"_What is it?" Matt asked, looking over his shoulder to follow my gaze. "Who is that with Lulu?" _

"_I have no idea," I replied. _

"_They seem serious," Matt observed. _

"_Yes, they do," I said, my eyes widening as Lulu approached Coleman. "Is she asking him for a room upstairs?" _

"_Damn," Matt laughed. "I didn't realize Lulu was that kind of girl." _

"_She's not," I said, looking to Matt as Lulu got the key. "I'm going to feel horrible if this guy hurts her." _

"_Why?" Matt asked. "It wouldn't be your fault." _

"_Lulu invited me here for a girls' night out," I explained. "If I was hanging out with her, she probably wouldn't be spending the night with some guy she doesn't know." _

"_She seems to know him pretty well," Matt observed, taking another glance at Lulu. "I don't think you have to worry." _

"_I hope she knows him," I said, trying not to worry. "He could be a psycho killer or something." _

"_I doubt that," Matt chuckled. _

_I was about to respond when I heard the door to Jake's open and saw Cooper coming in. He looked like he was working and I wondered what caused his expression. _

"_No one move," Cooper said harshly. "There was a report of gun fire in the area." _

"_What?" I asked. _

"_Barrett, we have a victim," another cop called from the back door. "Three gun shot wounds." _

_I turned to look at Matt and he looked sideways at me. Somehow we had both stepped a small distance apart from each other. _

"_Do you have an ID?" Cooper asked quietly, moving closer to the other cop. _

"_It's Dante," the cop whispered, but I heard him. _

_Dante was dead. _

"Did you step into the back alley to get a breath of fresh air?" Cooper asked.

"What?" I questioned, retracing my story to find the answer.

"You said Matt left and you wanted to get air," Cooper recounted. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, I-I went out the f-front," I stuttered.

"Okay," Cooper smiled, seeming to take me at my word. "Do you know where Matt went?"

"I assume to use the restroom or something," I shrugged. "I didn't ask."

"Alright," Cooper nodded.

It made me slightly nervous that he believed me so easily. I wondered if that meant he didn't actually believe me. He needed to believe me.

"So, you didn't know who Lulu was with that night?" Cooper asked.

"No, I didn't," I answered. "Not until later when he revealed himself."

"So why did you think Zacchara was a psycho killer?" Cooper wondered.

"I didn't," I argued. "It's an expression."

"Not one I've ever used," Cooper laughed.

"I was just worried about Lulu getting involved with someone dangerous," I continued.

"That's understandable," Cooper said, running a hand over his face. "Do you still think Zacchara is dangerous?"

"I don't know him," I shrugged. "But in hind sight I should have known that if Lulu liked Johnny, then he must have been a good guy."

"You know, not all six of you can be innocent," Cooper observed. "And I'm starting to see which one of you is guilty."


	9. My Last Name

A/N – I can't believe we are already on chapter nine! This is like a whirlwind. Or maybe it's just me! LOL! Anyway, a little insight into Johnny's mind this time. Enjoy and I would love a review!

**Chapter 9 – My Last Name**

_Johnny_

"So where did you go?" Cooper asked.

"To make a phone call," I replied.

"To who?" Cooper questioned.

"I don't see why it matters," I dodged.

"Well, I'll need to confirm with that person that you actually called them," Cooper explained.

"With all due respect, you knew nothing about me before Friday night," I smirked. "Anyone I would have called, you would have no way to get in touch with them and confirm that I called them."

"Would have called? As in you didn't make a call?" Cooper pressed.

I had to admit this guy was persistent. Annoyingly persistent.

"I made a call to my house to tell them I would be out all night and not to worry," I said confidently.

"Why couldn't you make that call in front of Lulu?" Cooper questioned.

"It was loud, I needed to be able to hear," I answered.

"What happened when you went back inside?" Cooper asked.

"I saw Lulu," I started...

_I saw Lulu getting the key from Coleman and I suddenly wondered if we were moving too fast. I didn't want to ruin anything by pressuring her. _

"_All set, I see," I whispered in her ear, turning her to look me in the eyes. _

"_All set indeed," Lulu replied, kissing me quickly. _

_I sighed, knowing I had to make sure that Lulu was okay with everything. I took a seat at the bar and grabbed Lulu's hand to get her to sit as well. She frowned slightly and I wondered if my action was necessary. _

"_Is something wrong?" Lulu asked. _

"_Not at all," I said softly. __"I just want you to be sure about things. I got to thinking maybe I pressured you into this." _

"_You didn't," Lulu insisted. _

"_Are you sure?" I wondered. "Because from the start I've been pretty straight forward about wanting you and I'm worried that maybe you feel obligated or something." _

"_Wow, I'm glad you think so highly of me," Lulu muttered and I squeezed her hand instantly. _

_I didn't want her to think she was easy. That was the point of the conversation. _

"_I do think highly of you," I assured her. "That's why I want to know you're sure. Because the last thing I want is for you to regret me in the morning." _

"_I won't," she whispered, kissing me softly. _

"_You must think I'm crazy for bringing this up," I laughed slightly. _

"_No, I think you're a gentleman," Lulu corrected. "But I don't need you to be a gentleman anymore tonight." _

_I loved her tone. She could drive me wild with the sound of her voice. Sultry and low, beckoning me to her. _

"_What do you need me to be?" I asked, wanting to get upstairs as soon as possible. _

_Her mouth opened and closed just as fast. Someone busting into the bar had stopped her and I immediately wanted to hit the guy coming in because I really needed to hear Lulu's answer. _

"_No one move," the man ordered. "There was a report of gun fire in the area." _

"_What?" somebody asked. _

"_Barrett, we have a victim," another cop called from the back door. "Three gun shot wounds."_

_I dropped Lulu's hand and put on a stoic expression. Cops weren't a good thing. I felt Lulu look at me as I broke the contact and I wanted nothing more than to reassure her somehow, but I couldn't. _

"_Do you have an ID?" the guy apparently named Barrett asked, walking closer to the other cop. _

"_It's Dante," the cop whispered, but it was still audible. _

_I wondered if Lulu had heard because she had barely reacted. I expected her to gasp in surprise, but she just stood there. _

"_Cooper," Lulu said, making the man turn to her. _

_I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous in the moment. She clearly knew this guy and I wanted to know how well she knew him. _

"_What?" Cooper asked. _

"_I guess I'll have to excuse myself from this case, so you'll want to make sure you note that," Lulu said softly. _

_Excuse herself? No way Lulu was a cop. I wouldn't fall for a cop. _

"_Lulu, I don't see why you have to so early," Cooper replied. "It's not like you're a suspect. There's no reason you won't be able to try this case in the future." _

_Try the case. Lulu. My eyes shut as I realized what I should have realized since the moment she introduced herself. I had spent the entire evening with the Port Charles district attorney, Lulu Spencer. _

"_I'm not going to risk someone getting off on a technicality," Lulu fought. _

_Most lawyers fought to get on a case. Lulu was the exact opposite and I found that comforting. _

"_Fine," Cooper sighed. _

_Lulu breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at me again. She must have sensed that I was watching her. She frowned slightly at me and my stomach churned uneasily. I was used to her smile and nothing else. _

"_Everyone needs to be questioned," Cooper said, looking at the other officer from before. "I'll handle it. You stay with forensics." _

_The man nodded and Cooper looked at Lulu. I didn't like him looking at her so much. I ached to touch her possessively as I had earlier, so he would back off. _

"_I guess I'll question you first," Cooper muttered. _

"_Okay," Lulu answered. _

"_Did you hear or see anything suspicious?" Cooper asked her. _

_I looked to the door and wondered if I could leave without being detected. There were probably cops outside the door. I didn't need to risk it. Running made me look guilty and that wouldn't be good. I didn't need to look any guiltier than I already did because of my last name. _

"_No," Lulu said shortly. _

"_Did you see Dante tonight?" Cooper wondered. _

"_I noticed him leave earlier," Lulu muttered. "But I was paying attention to other things most of the night." _

_I bit back a smile. She was paying attention to me all night. Just as I was all about her. _

"_Okay," Cooper nodded. "That should be it." _

"_I'll stick around in case you think of anything else," Lulu offered. _

_I didn't want her to stick around. I considered the possibility that she was waiting for me, but she didn't need to. I knew as soon as she heard my last name I would never see her smile again and I didn't want that. _

"_You," Cooper said, looking at me for the first time. "What's your name?" _

"_Johnny," I replied, feeling Lulu's eyes on me. _

"_Do you have a last name?" Cooper asked, sounding annoyed. _

"_Zacchara," I mumbled, knowing it was no use to lie. _

_Cooper's eyes snapped up to mine and I sighed. So much for staying out of sight of the PCPD. I glanced at Lulu and she was standing with her mouth slightly open. _

"_Well, I guess I don't need to question anyone else," Cooper said presumptuously. "You killed Dante." _

"_No he didn't," Lulu spoke up. _

"_Lulu, don't get involved," I said, not wanting her defending me. _

_She looked at me with wide eyes, knowing I needed her help right now. I smiled slightly before composing myself. She could get under my skin like no one else ever had before. _

"_Johnny and I have been together since he came in," Lulu said, looking at Cooper. "He couldn't have killed Dante." _

"_No need to stand up for your boy toy, Lulu," Cooper said and my hand curled into a fist. _

"_Don't speak to her like that," I warned. _

_This time Lulu smiled before quickly hiding it. Cooper turned to me and laughed. _

"_Did you hear anything suspicious tonight, Zacchara?" Cooper asked. _

"_No," I muttered. _

"_Didn't see anything either, huh?" Cooper questioned. _

"_Sure didn't," I smirked. _

"_I can't believe you're vouching for this guy," Cooper said, rolling his eyes and looking at Lulu. _

"_I'm telling the truth," Lulu responded. _

"_Don't leave town," Cooper warned, looking at me. "We'll want to speak with you again soon." _

_Cooper turned and walked over to talk with someone else. I looked at Lulu and she was questioning me with her eyes. I had no idea what to tell her. _

"_Zacchara," Lulu muttered, smiling slightly. _

"_Common criminal right, DA Spencer?" I asked. _

"_You knew who I was this whole time?" Lulu wondered, looking slightly hurt. _

_She thought I used her and I wanted to put a stop to those thoughts. _

"_No," I answered. "I realized it when you were talking to the cop." _

"_Oh," Lulu nodded. _

"_I guess you're glad he got here when he did," I said softly. _

"_Not exactly," Lulu said, smiling at me. _

"_I can't believe you don't hate me for my last name," I whispered. _

"_Do you hate me for mine or for my job?" Lulu asked. _

_She was amazing. I wanted her even more than I had earlier in the night and that was saying something. I knew it couldn't happen, though. Not that night at least. _

"_Not at all," I replied. _

"_Good," Lulu smiled, grazing my arm with her hand so lightly that it probably wasn't visible to anyone who might have been watching. "You should go home. Before Cooper decides to take you in for no reason." _

"_Alright," I agreed. "Goodnight." _

"_Night," she murmured, her hand grazing mine again. _

_I didn't want to walk away, but somehow I knew it wasn't the end of my relationship with Lulu. We would see each other again and that thought gave me the peace of mind to walk away. _

"You sure did stone wall me," Cooper laughed. "Both of you. Like a tag team."

"Am I supposed to respond to that?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

This interview was taking twelve times as long as I cared to spend with any law enforcement officer and we had only talked about one night.

"No, but respond to this," Cooper countered. "Why didn't you or Lulu originally mention the time when you couldn't account for the other's whereabouts?"

"I didn't think about it," I answered and he nodded.

"Of course you didn't," Cooper said, writing something down.

I really didn't know what to think about this investigation. Cooper made a lot of notes which either meant he had a good idea of who murdered Dante or he had no place to start, so he was overcompensating. I was hoping for the second option.


	10. Knowing Something

A/N – So does everyone know who did it? I do! LOL! Okay, that's mean. Maybe this chapter will help out and give you a clue! Leave me a review so I know what you're thinking!

**Chapter 10 – Knowing Something**

_Maxie_

I was starting to get tired of Cooper's questions. Everything seemed to be an accusation. It's like he thought I was keeping something from him. Or knew I was.

"Alright, so you and Spinelli danced, right?" Cooper asked.

"Yes, to a few songs," I answered.

"What happened after that?" Cooper wondered.

"You came in," I muttered...

_Cooper had busted in acting like a super cop and I was motionless. This was not a good situation. I saw another officer come in the back door, telling Cooper about a victim. I strained my ears to hear their conversation. _

"_Do you have an ID?" Cooper questioned, walking closer to the other cop. _

"_It's Dante," I made out, reading the cop's lips. _

_Cooper's face showed surprise and I made sure mine did, too. I glanced towards Spinelli and wondered if he knew what I did. _

"_Cooper," Lulu called and he turned to her. _

_I tuned out of their conversation to watch the guy who Lulu had been all over all night. He didn't seem to like Lulu talking to anyone other than him. But, he was very interested in catching every word that was said between the two. _

"_Lulu, I don't see why you have to so early," Cooper replied. "It's not like you're a suspect. There's no reason you won't be able to try this case in the future." _

_I wondered why Lulu would want off of this case. I guessed that she, like me, was just happy Dante was gone. She didn't care to know who killed him. I glanced back at her mystery man and noticed a strange look on his face. He was staring at Lulu like he was seeing her for the first time. Cooper and Lulu finished their conversation and I observed the silent exchange between Lulu and her almost lover. It wasn't really pleasant, but I could still see their urge to be together. _

"_Everyone needs to be questioned," Cooper said, looking at the other officer from before. "I'll handle it. You stay with forensics." _

_I felt Spinelli looking at me and I turned to him. _

"_Maximista seems very interested in the Unknown Suitor," Spinelli whispered. _

"_I'm just watching him watch Lulu to try to see how serious he is about her," I explained. "And the answer is pretty serious. He looks like he wants to kill Cooper just for talking to Lulu." _

"_Does Maximista think the Unknown Suitor is the violent kind?" Spinelli wondered. _

_I considered the question and watched him a little more. He didn't strike me as a guy who would ever hurt a woman, but he wasn't someone you wanted to upset. It was something around the eyes. Cooper began questioning him and I listened in. _

"_What's your name?" Cooper asked him. _

"_Johnny," he muttered. _

"_Do you have a last name?" Cooper asked, sounding annoyed. _

"_Zacchara," Johnny mumbled and my eyes grew large. _

_Johnny Zacchara. The supposed crazed murderer, Johnny Zacchara. Lulu sure knew how to pick them. _

"_Well, I guess I don't need to question anyone else," Cooper said to Johnny. "You killed Dante." _

"_No he didn't," Lulu spoke up. _

_And now Lulu was going to risk her career for him. I knew it the second I heard her voice. No matter what, she was going to stand up for Johnny. I just hoped it was worth it for her. _

"_Lulu, don't get involved," Johnny begged and they shared another silent exchange. _

"_Johnny and I have been together since he came in," Lulu said, looking at Cooper. "He couldn't have killed Dante." _

"_No need to stand up for your boy toy, Lulu," Cooper said. _

_That's when Johnny confirmed what I already knew. He did have a temper and the number one thing to set it off was someone disrespecting a woman. Or perhaps not just any woman, but a woman he considered to be his. _

"_Don't speak to her like that," Johnny said angrily and Lulu smiled to herself. _

_Cooper questioned Johnny and I turned back to Spinelli, raising an eyebrow. _

"_What is on the beautiful mind of Maximista?" Spinelli asked. _

"_You asked me before if I thought Lulu's guy was violent," I muttered. "I guess I think he is if he has to be. But he wouldn't hurt Lulu or let anyone else hurt her, for that matter." _

"_Then he is a most suitable suitor," Spinelli assessed and I couldn't disagree. _

_Cooper finished up with Johnny and I saw him start to walk towards me. I really wanted to eavesdrop on Lulu's conversation, but I knew I needed to prepare myself for Cooper's questions. _

"_Maxie," Cooper greeted and I looked at him. _

"_Cooper," I replied. _

"_Did you hear or see anything suspicious before I got here?" Cooper asked. _

"_No, I didn't," I answered. _

"_Did you notice Dante in here earlier?" Cooper wondered. _

"_Yes, I talked to him," I said, looking away. _

"_Did he seem anxious? Like maybe he was scared for his life?" Cooper questioned. _

"_No, he was as annoying as ever," I responded. _

"_You know, Maxie, calling a dead man annoying to the detective investigating his death is not a good thing," Cooper warned, trying to keep me out of trouble. _

"_I just call them like I see them," I replied and he shook his head. _

"_Alright, well I'd appreciate it if you stay in town this weekend," Cooper said, looking over his shoulder as Johnny left. "We'll probably want to follow up with you to see if you remember anything else later." _

"_Okay," I nodded and Cooper moved on to question Spinelli. _

_I made eye contact with Lulu and she just offered me a small smile. As much as I wanted to know the dirt about her and Johnny, I knew now was not the time. Lulu waved goodbye to me and headed for the door. I waved back and watched her leave. I turned back to Spinelli as Cooper finished up, telling him not to leave town as well. _

"_Is Maximista okay?" Spinelli wondered. _

_I nodded, but hugged him tightly. That day was going to change everything and I knew it. I just wanted to have Spinelli's warm embrace around me and not to think for a second. _

"_I'm fine," I whispered. _

"_Did the Blonde One speak with Maximista before her exit?" Spinelli questioned, noticing Lulu was gone. _

"_No, she just waved goodbye," I answered. "I think she has a lot on her mind." _

"_Most assuredly," Spinelli replied. "Her suitor was none other than the Infamous Mob Prince. The Jackal is sure that the Blonde One's mind is running amok." _

"_Well, she'll be fine," I said, trying to convince myself as well as Spinelli. "Lulu's smart and I'm sure she'll proceed with caution concerning Johnny." _

"_Maximista believes that the Blonde One will remain in contact with the Infamous Mob Prince?" Spinelli wondered. _

"_They were on fire for each other all night," I said, giggling a little. "Somehow, I don't think she's going to let something trivial like his line of work stop her from getting what she was after." _

"_Does Maximista think it possible that the Infamous Mob Prince knew of Fair Lulu's identity before their meeting?" Spinelli asked. _

"_Maybe, but he was genuinely interested in her regardless," I answered, walking toward the door. _

_Spinelli followed me and we headed for the car we had arrived in earlier. I wondered briefly if I should wait for my sister to give her a ride, but I determined that she was safe with Matt. I climbed into the driver's seat and Spinelli entered the car beside me. _

"_This wasn't quite the night I expected the last time I was in this car," I muttered, looking at Spinelli. _

"_The Jackal did not foresee the events of the night anymore than Maximista did," Spinelli replied. _

"_At least we have each other," I smiled. _

"_Maximista will always have her Jackal as long as she desires," Spinelli promised. _

"It's funny, you know," Cooper said, shaking his head. "Someone was killed in the alley behind the building you were in and you were more interested in your friend's love life."

"Was I supposed to be in mourning for a guy who was nothing but rude to me in the time that I knew him?" I asked.

"No, but you should have reacted to the news that he was dead," Cooper said softly. "Unless you already knew before my team and I got there."

"So you think I killed Dante?" I asked.

"Maybe," Cooper nodded. "But I know you know who did."

I studied Cooper, but didn't say a word. If he knew so much, I didn't need to say anything. I shouldn't have said so much earlier.

"Maxie, if you know who killed Dante, just tell me and this will all be over," Cooper whispered.


	11. The Truth About Lying

A/N – So, a little shocker in this chapter. At least I hope it's something you all didn't see coming. And keep the speculation coming. I've gotten several guesses and they all make me happy because it lets me know you all are enjoying!

**Chapter 11 – The Truth About Lying**

_Lulu_

"You know, it strikes me as odd that you would know immediately you had to be taken off the case," Cooper noted, looking up from his notes.

"I told you my reasoning," I said simply.

"I didn't buy it then and I don't now," Cooper informed me.

"That's not my problem," I retorted.

It was my problem. I just couldn't admit that. I couldn't admit anything.

"Alright, so why don't we talk about our first questioning session," Cooper suggested.

"Okay," I agreed...

"_Did you hear or see anything suspicious?" Cooper asked me. _

"_No," I answered. _

"_Did you see Dante tonight?" Cooper wondered. _

"_I noticed him leave earlier," I muttered. "But I was paying attention to other things most of the night."_

_I glanced sideways at Johnny and saw him suppressing a smile. He knew I meant that I hadn't taken my eyes off of him all night. But he had only watched me as well. _

"_Okay," Cooper nodded. "That should be it." _

"_I'll stick around in case you think of anything else," I offered. _

_Johnny frowned slightly at my words, but it didn't matter. I wanted to speak with him again and I wasn't leaving until I got the chance. _

"_You," Cooper said, turning to Johnny. "What's your name?" _

"_Johnny," he responded. _

"_Do you have a last name?" Cooper sighed. _

"_Zacchara," Johnny answered. _

_That was the last thing I expected. My mouth had fallen open, but I couldn't put my thoughts in order enough to close it. Johnny looked at me, probably wondering how I would react. I didn't know how to. _

"_Well, I guess I don't need to question anyone else," Cooper said, looking at Johnny. "You killed Dante." _

"_No he didn't," I spoke up, before I even had the chance to think about it. _

"_Lulu, don't get involved," Johnny ordered. _

_I fixed my eyes on him and he let himself smile, only for a moment. He had to know he needed my help and that I was going to help him whether he wanted me to or not. _

"_Johnny and I have been together since he came in," I said, looking at Cooper. "He couldn't have killed Dante." _

"_No need to stand up for your boy toy, Lulu," Cooper growled in frustration and I felt Johnny tense. _

"_Don't speak to her like that," Johnny warned. _

_I was the one to smile this time. How could I not? Johnny looked very sexy defending my honor. Cooper laughed once and looked at Johnny. _

"_Did you hear anything suspicious tonight, Zacchara?" Cooper asked. _

"_No," Johnny muttered. _

"_Didn't see anything either, huh?" Cooper questioned. _

"_Sure didn't," Johnny said, smirking. _

"_I can't believe you're vouching for this guy," Cooper said, rolling his eyes and looking at me. _

"_I'm telling the truth," I snapped. _

"_Don't leave town," Cooper warned, looking at Johnny. "We'll want to speak with you again soon."_

_Cooper turned and walked toward Maxie. I glanced at Johnny and he finally met my eyes. I asked him with my eyes what I couldn't aloud. _

"_Zacchara," I muttered. _

"_Common criminal right, DA Spencer?" Johnny asked. _

_I was shocked. How did he know my last name? _

"_You knew who I was this whole time?" I questioned. _

"_No," Johnny replied. "I realized it when you were talking to the cop." _

"_Oh," I nodded. _

"_I guess you're glad he got here when he did," Johnny said softly. _

"_Not exactly," I replied, a smile coming to my face. _

_I wasn't at all glad Cooper had shown up. If he hadn't, Johnny and I could be wrapped in each other's arms right now and I still wanted that, despite my new found knowledge about who he was. _

"_I can't believe you don't hate me for my last name," Johnny whispered. _

_His thoughts mirrored mine and I couldn't help but feel like we were connected. _

"_Do you hate me for mine or for my job?" I asked. _

"_Not at all," Johnny answered. _

"_Good," I whispered. _

_I let my hand run across his arm as inconspicuously as possible. I just needed to touch him. _

"_You should go home," I muttered. "Before Cooper decides to take you in for no reason."_

_I didn't want him to leave, but he did need to go. And I wasn't worried about not seeing him again because I would make sure that I did. I wasn't going to let our first opportunity to be together be the last. _

"_Alright," Johnny agreed. "Goodnight." _

"_Night," I said, grazing his hand with mine again. _

_He hesitated before turning and walking out the door. I watched him go and sighed to myself. He made me feel something I hadn't before. I realized that finding out details about him would be difficult. The PCPD didn't even have a file I could use to get contact information from. But I could do anything I set my mind to. I was a Spencer. _

_I looked up and noticed Maxie staring at me. Spinelli was being interviewed and she was watching me like she wanted to read my mind. It dawned on me that she had seen Johnny and me kissing all night long and she probably saw me get the key from Coleman. She was probably itching to know all about our relationship. _

_I decided it was best if I left, so I waved to Maxie, signaling that I was leaving. She waved back and I headed for the door. I walked slowly to my car, wondering what would happen. Would Cooper or the forensic team learn anything? I reached my car and climbed inside, wishing I had left with Johnny. What if tonight was our only chance to be together? I had let him leave without thinking about things that were out of my control. Like Cooper learning the truth._

"Learning the truth about what?" Cooper asked, cutting me off.

"I was afraid once you found out that I was quitting as the DA, you would make me the number one suspect," I lied.

"You thought that I would see your resignation as a sign of guilt," Cooper nodded in understanding.

"I wasn't far from right," I pointed out. "I wasn't on your suspect list at all until I resigned."

"It was interesting timing," Cooper shrugged. "What else did you expect me to do?"

"Nothing," I answered. "Like I said, I knew it would happen."

"Then why not wait until after this investigation?" Cooper wondered.

"Because I made a decision and I didn't want to wait to start a new chapter of my life," I replied.

"Lulu, if you quit to draw attention to yourself and away from Zacchara, you will be tried as an accessory," Cooper sighed. "I don't want that. Just tell the truth. Protect yourself."

"I don't need to protect myself from anyone," I said firmly. "Unless you plan on railroading me or Johnny when you have no proof."

"What makes you think I don't have proof?" Cooper asked. "Did Zacchara tell you it was a clean job?"

"Maybe a leading question like that would be effective with someone who doesn't understand interrogation tactics, but I do," I snapped.

"The more passionate you get, the more you tell me," Cooper smiled.

I hated that smile. It made me wonder if maybe Cooper really did know who killed Dante.


	12. Worried

A/N – Okay, I feel like such a slacker for not having updated anything or posted my new story (which is coming, by Friday I hope) yet, so I'm giving you this update one day early. Maybe it's not much, but hopefully it's enough to make you happy! Enjoy and I would love a review!

**Chapter 12 - Worried**

_Matt_

I stood up to stretch my legs. This interview was taking forever and we still had a lot of time to cover.

"What happened after I questioned you?" Cooper asked.

"You'll have to be more specific," I replied sarcastically.

"Sit down, Hunter," Cooper demanded.

"Or what?" I asked.

"Or I won't ask anymore questions and you'll be here even longer," Cooper answered.

I hated him.

"After you questioned me," I began, taking my seat again...

_I looked around and noticed that Georgie and I were the last two left in Jake's. I turned to Georgie, who was doing better than I expected, and gave her a small smile. _

"_I guess we're free to go," I noted. _

"_Looks that way," Georgie agreed. _

"_I'll walk you to your car," I offered. _

"_Oh, I took a cab because I walked to work today," Georgie replied. "I'll call another one right now." _

"_No need," I argued. "I can take you home." _

"_I don't want to be an inconvenience," Georgie said softly. _

"_You're not," I promised. _

_I placed a careful hand between her shoulders to guide her towards the door. I was pleased when she didn't even flinch at my touch. She seemed to be as comfortable with me as I was with her. I led her to my car and opened the door for her. After she got in, I closed her door and hurried around to enter the driver's side. I started the car and backed out of the parking lot, speeding off onto the highway. _

"_So, where do you live?" I asked, glancing at Georgie. _

"_5__th__ street," Georgie said, meeting my eyes briefly. _

"_Are you worried?" I wondered. _

"_About what?" Georgie questioned. _

"_This murder investigation," I clarified. _

"_Shouldn't we all be?" Georgie whispered. _

_I knew what she meant and I decided not to press it. _

"_So, I know this may not be the right time, but I had fun tonight before the cops showed," I said softly. "Maybe you and I could get together again." _

"_I'd like that," Georgie smiled. "I mean, the night didn't end so well, but before the cops came I was having one of the best times I've had lately." _

"_Great," I said, relaxing back into my seat. "Are you free tomorrow night for dinner?" _

"_Yeah," Georgie nodded. _

"_Great," I said again. "Is about seven okay?" _

"_Sounds perfect," Georgie replied. _

_I smiled to myself and made a turn onto Georgie's street. I knew that things were probably going to get complicated soon and I wanted to spend time with Georgie before that happened. She pointed out which house was hers and I pulled up next to it. _

"_Here we are," I noted._

"_Thanks for the ride," Georgie said, turning to look at me. _

"_Don't mention it," I smiled. "Let me walk you to the door." _

_I got out before she could protest and walked around to open her door again. I walked beside her up the sidewalk and stopped with her on the porch. _

"_I think everything will be okay," Georgie offered. _

"_I hope," I replied. _

"_Goodnight, Matt," Georgie said softly. _

"_Goodnight," I said, kissing her cheek softly. _

_She went inside and I turned and headed back for my car. I drove home quickly, pulling out my phone as I headed up the stairs toward my apartment. It rang twice before Spinelli answered. _

"'Tis I, the Jackal_," he said. _

"_Spinelli, it's Matt," I replied. _

"The Doting Doctor phones the Jackal?_" Spinelli asked in surprise. _

"_Yeah," I said, walking inside my apartment. "I just wanted to check on Maxie. How was she when she dropped you off?" _

"Ah, Maximista is strangely calm in light of recent events_," Spinelli said softly. "_The Jackal fears she is repressing feelings._" _

"_No, Maxie's tough," I replied. "And it probably hasn't sunk in for her yet." _

"Is the Doting Doctor only worried about Fair Maximista?_" Spinelli asked. _

"_I'm worried about all of us and what this means," I answered. _

"The Jackal shares this sentiment_," Spinelli agreed. "_Perhaps the death of the Fallen Detective will somehow be a blessing for everyone._" _

"_Do you honestly believe that, Spinelli?" I wondered. _

"Sometimes gifts come in mysterious wrapping_," Spinelli mused. _

"_And sometimes murder is just murder," I noted. _

"The Doting Doctor is bluntly cynical_," Spinelli observed. "_Perhaps he is conflicted by the death of the Fallen Detective more than he realizes._" _

"_I'm fine," I snapped. _

_I don't know why I snapped at him. Maybe I wasn't fine. Maybe I couldn't handle it the way I thought I could. _

"_Sorry, Spinelli," I offered. "I shouldn't have snapped at you." _

"The Doting Doctor's stress is understandable_," Spinelli said, being as nice as he always was. _

"_I appreciate you being nice to me," I admitted. "I don't deserve it." _

"But you must_," Spinelli replied. "_The death of the Fallen Detective shows that what is sowed is always reaped._" _

"_So you're saying that Dante deserved to die?" I asked. _

"Precisely_," Spinelli answered. _

"_I can't disagree," I breathed. _

_And it was true. If there was someone who I thought really deserved to meet their maker in the town of Port Charles, Dante was that someone. _

"_I guess I'll let you go," I said, tearing myself from my thoughts. _

"Farewell, Doting Doctor_," Spinelli said. _

"_Bye," I replied, hanging up the phone. _

_I sighed to myself and headed into the kitchen. I realized I hadn't eaten anything other than peanuts since lunch. I hadn't really had time to eat over the course of the night's events. I pulled out the contents to make myself a sandwich and started thinking about everything for what had to be the thousandth time. This wasn't what I planned on happening tonight. I was worried for everyone. _

_I had only eaten a few bites when my phone started ringing. I pulled the phone from my pocket, worrying when I saw it was Maxie calling me. _

"_What's wrong?" I asked immediately. _

"Nothing yet_," she answered. "_But we're having breakfast at Kelly's in the morning. You, me, Spinelli and Georgie._" _

"_Why?" I wondered. _

"Because Dante is dead and we need to discuss it_," Maxie replied. _

"_Discuss his death or who killed him?" I asked, hoping for the first option. _

"Whatever comes up_," Maxie responded. _

"_Alright," I agreed. "What time?" _

"Ten_," Maxie supplied. "_No need for us to lose sleep._" _

"_Okay, I'll see you then," I promised. "Goodnight." _

"Night, Matt_," Maxie replied. _

_I snapped my phone shut and looked back at my sandwich, suddenly not so hungry anymore. _

"What did you all have to discuss?" Cooper questioned.

"A lot," I answered.

"Coordinating your stories?" Cooper wondered.

"I guess that's up to your interpretation," I shrugged.

"So, why does everyone seem to think Dante deserved to die?" Cooper asked, leaning closer to me.

"It's not just one thing, I'm sure," I replied, looking him straight in the eye. "But from my experience if everyone thinks something is true, it's usually true."

I held his gaze, but he looked down at his notes. I felt for the first time like maybe Cooper didn't know the truth. Maybe he wouldn't ever find it either. Maybe everything would actually be okay.


	13. A Quick Surprise

A/N – Happy June everyone! Hope all is well for all of you! Not much to say about this update, so I'll just cut this short and say enjoy and please leave me a review!

**Chapter 13 – A Quick Surprise**

_Johnny_

I leaned my chin on my palm. My elbow rested on the table and my other hand tapped the table absentmindedly while I waited for Cooper to come back. He claimed he needed water. I think he was just stalling me. Cooper walked through the door and I sat up straight, glaring at him.

"No water for me?" I asked.

"I figured you were okay," Cooper said snidely.

"I'm peachy," I bit back.

"Alright, where were we?" Cooper wondered, looking at his notes.

"I was just about to leave," I offered.

"No, you were about to tell me about your Saturday," Cooper corrected.

Ah, that's right. My Saturday...

_I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock. I would have rather woken up to the sunshine coming in through the windows, shining off of Lulu's golden hair. I would have rather woken up to Lulu's lips on mine, kissing me awake because she couldn't wait another second. Hell, I would have rather woken up to Lulu drooling on my chest. I just wanted to wake up to Lulu. _

_I rolled over, turned off the alarm clock and sighed. Considering I was the prime suspect in a murder investigation, I felt great. I had dreamed of Lulu all night long and each dream had been better than the one before it. Although, none of the dreams compared to the reality of her. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. Being starry eyed and moonstruck was not something I had time for. I was still in charge of a business. Although my business was nothing like what everyone thought. _

_I rose from my bed and pulled a t-shirt over my head. I considered the possibility that I needed to call my lawyers to inform them of the precarious situation I found myself in, but decided against it, at least until after my morning routine. _

_I tugged on my sweatpants and headed outside for my morning two mile run. I started every day off that way because it normally cleared my head, but it wasn't working anymore. No matter what I did, I could not stop thinking about Lulu. Her beauty, both inside and out captivated me every second. I didn't know how to feel or what to think about her sudden take over of all my senses, but I didn't once consider complaining. _

_I finished my run and headed upstairs to take a quick shower. I wrapped a towel around my waist after stepping out and leaned over the sink in the bathroom. I shook my head at my own appearance. My eyes were even smiling, just like the smile that my lips couldn't seem to part with. I shaved quickly before heading into my bedroom to get dressed. _

_I did my best to compose my expression so none of my staff would notice the change in me. I headed downstairs and went straight for the kitchen. My cook, Alessandro, handed me my usual breakfast consisting of a Denver omelet. _

"_Thank you, Alessandro," I offered, sitting at the counter to begin eating my breakfast. _

"_You're welcome, Mr. Zacchara," Alessandro replied. _

"_This is fantastic," I noted, smiling at him. _

"_Thank you, sir," Alessandro said with gratitude. _

"_Are you married, Alessandro?" I asked. _

_It was sad that I didn't know. Before now, I had never thought to ask him. He had been the cook in this house since before my father died and I had kept him on staff because he cooked excellent meals without asking questions about Zacchara business, so long as he received a paycheck. _

"_Yes, sir," Alessandro smiled. "Twenty-seven years now. My Novella is the light of my life. Her and our three beautiful children of course." _

"_Three kids?" I asked in shock. "How old?" _

"_Paolo is the oldest and he is twenty-five," Alessandro explained. "Then my girls, Bella and Magdalena, are twenty-two and seventeen." _

_His son was my age. He had a son my age and I was his boss. Something about it didn't seem right to me. _

"_What's it like, Alessandro?" I wondered. "Being a husband and a father?" _

"_Being each is a great gift," Alessandro said with a genuine smile. "A great gift of love." _

_I smiled back at him and went back to eating my omelet. I couldn't really understand why I was interested in knowing about Alessandro and his family all of a sudden, but I was just curious. Curious to know what the life of a family man was like. _

"_Mr. Zacchara?" Alessandro questioned softly. _

"_You should call me Johnny," I said, taking a bite of food. _

"_No, sir, I couldn't," Alessandro said, shaking his head. _

"_You could," I pressed. "I want you to." _

"_You are my boss, it would not be right," Alessandro argued. _

"_Alright, but I want you to know I'm fine with it and you should consider trying to call me Johnny," I smiled. _

"_Okay," Alessandro nodded. "Could I ask you a question, sir?" _

"_Sure," I agreed. _

"_Why is it that today for the first time in the fifteen years I have worked here you are having breakfast in the kitchen?" Alessandro asked. _

"_I don't know," I shrugged. _

"_Perhaps it is connected to the mysterious smile that has not left your face?" Alessandro suggested. "Or the questions about my family?" _

"_I don't know," I repeated. "I just feel different today." _

"_Ah, well," Alessandro sighed. "If you don't mind me saying, love looks good on you." _

_Love?_

"_What do you mean?" I wondered. _

"_The look of love is in your eyes, sir," Alessandro explained. "Is there a lucky lady in your life?" _

_I smiled automatically, thinking of how I had ordered Lulu a Lady Luck. Alessandro only smiled wider at me and I knew there was no use denying that I had met someone. But denying being in love. That I was going to do. _

"_I only met her last night," I replied softly. "It's not love, but it's something." _

"_Do not be so sure," Alessandro countered. "Love can come quickly and surprise you. That's how it was for me and my Novella." _

"_How did you meet?" I asked. _

"_We were seventeen," Alessandro smiled, remembering. "I was my father's helper in his pizza shop in Italy and her father was a wealthy man who loved my father's pizza. One day he brought his daughter with him and the moment my eyes met hers, I knew I wanted to marry her. Somehow, I was lucky enough for her to feel the same. Her father did not approve of me, but my Novella was a stubborn girl. She saved enough allowance for two plane tickets to America and we ran away together. We became citizens of this great country and were married on her eighteenth birthday." _

"_Wow," I breathed. "Did you see your families again?" _

"_Much later," Alessandro nodded. "But even had I not seen my mama or papa, it would have been worth it. My Novella has made me very happy." _

"_And you really knew from the start?" I asked. "You knew she was it for you?" _

"_Yes. It was like a magnetic force between us and nothing could keep us apart," Alessandro answered. _

_I tilted my head to the side. A magnetic force. That was the exact way I had felt when I had seen Lulu for the first time. But love? It couldn't be, could it?_

"_That's an amazing story," I noted. "In fact, you should go home." _

"_Sir?" Alessandro questioned. _

"_Go home, take the rest of the day off," I smiled. "With pay, of course." _

"_But, sir, Sunday is my day off," Alessandro argued. _

"_Well, from now on, you have the entire weekend off," I replied. "I can fend for myself in the kitchen two days a week. And if I can't, I'll hire a weekend cook." _

_Alessandro laughed and thanked me. He started to clean the kitchen and I tried to convince him not to, but he maintained that it was a mess he made, so he had to clean it up. When he had finished, he turned to me, obviously surprised to find me still in the kitchen. Honestly, I didn't know why I was still there either. _

"_Can I do anything else for you, Mr. Zacchara?" Alessandro asked. _

"_No, you've done so much for me today," I said, patting him on the back. "Thank you." _

_Alessandro just nodded modestly and left the house. I headed for my office to start on some paperwork. I wondered what the odds were that I would get any work done when Lulu was still consuming my thoughts. I opened the first file that I came to and started to read its contents. I had read the first line when there was a knock on my door. _

_I looked up and smiled instantly. For a brief moment I wondered if I had fallen asleep because seeing Lulu standing in the doorway of my office was like a dream. She smiled back at me and took a step forward, closing the door behind her. _

"_You're not an easy person to find," Lulu commented, meeting my eyes. _

"_How did you do it?" I wondered. _

"_I had to do quite a bit of digging," Lulu admitted. "Almost twenty years ago, there was a medical call to this house and a Maria Zacchara was taken to the hospital." _

"_My mother, when she died," I remembered. "I can't believe you went back that far." _

"_Well, I was sort of desperate to see you again," Lulu said, walking closer to my desk. _

_I sat still. As much as I wanted to touch her, to kiss her, she had come this far and I wanted her to be in control of whatever happened. _

"_I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," I whispered, holding her gaze. "And I don't want to." _

_I watched her take in my words with a smile on my face. She moved around the desk and came to a stop, standing less than a foot in front of me. _

"_I came here because I wanted answers," Lulu said, curling a piece of hair behind her ear. _

"_What kind of answers?" I wondered. _

"_Answers about who you really are," Lulu replied. _

"_Well, if you have questions, I'll answer them," I muttered. _

_My heart was racing as Lulu stared at me. I didn't know what she wanted to know, but I knew I would answer her honestly no matter what. _

"_I don't have any questions," Lulu breathed, carefully lifting herself on top of my desk. "I got all of my answers just by looking in your eyes." _

"_What does that mean?" I asked. _

_I knew what it meant, but I was selfish enough to make her say it. _

"_I want to go the distance here," Lulu explained, tilting her head at me. "Do what it takes to find the kind of happiness I think I deserve. With you." _

_I smiled and she pointed her finger at me. I looked at her with a confused expression and she turned her finger over and beckoned me to her. I stood up slowly and her fingers found the belt loops on my jeans, pulling me closer to her. I let my hands fall to the desk on either side of her thighs, leaning in close to her, but not touching her just yet. _

"_I want to give you as much pleasure as I possibly can," I whispered in her ear. _

_Her hands came to my chest and she pushed me back enough so she could look into my eyes. My hands wandered up onto her legs and up her thighs to her waist. Her arms locked around my neck and my mouth descended on hers, our passion from the night before still present. Our lips dueled for several minutes before Lulu pulled away. _

"_Is someone going to wander in here and get an eye full?" Lulu asked, breathing heavily. _

"_Mm, no," I murmured, layering kisses along her neck. "This is my work time. I'm not to be disturbed during my work time." _

"_Well," Lulu breathed. "I'd hate to...mm...disturb you." _

_I bit her playfully when she said it and she laughed. Our lips came together again and the fire was reignited. Somehow, I doubted the heat between us would ever go away. _

"Too much information," Cooper warned, looking at me.

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "I thought you wanted to know every minute of what I had done since you last saw me."

"Well, I don't need to know that," Cooper replied, looking annoyed.

I laughed to myself again. At least I had managed to annoy this guy as much as he was annoying me. I just wanted this interview to be over. And soon.


	14. Morning Nourishment

A/N – This is another glimpse into the mind of Spinelli. Luckily for everyone this is the last time we peek into Spinelli's mind, so for those of you who get headaches while reading his language, make it through this one and you're done. LOL! Anyway, hope everyone loves the chapter, leave me some feedback so I know how you feel!

**Chapter 14 – Morning Nourishment**

_Spinelli_

The Irritating Investigator just stared at me as if I spoke in a foreign language. More specifically, he had assigned me a nickname other than the Jackal. He deemed me the Blubbering Idiot and I was offended.

"Has the Law Abiding One finished the lengthy questioning of the Jackal?" I wondered.

"No, we have to go over Saturday," the Irritating Investigator answered. "Oh crap."

"Is something amiss?" I questioned.

"I just understood you," the Irritating Investigator groaned. "And I just understood you again. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Is it a fault for the Law Abiding One to interpret the speech of the Jackal?" I asked.

"Professionally, no," the Irritating Investigator mumbled. "Personally, yes. And I just did it for the third time."

"Perhaps the Law Abiding One could continue with the time consuming questioning and refrain from his complaints," I suggested.

"I know what that meant," the Irritating Investigator sighed. "I wonder how often you've insulted me and I just didn't get it."

I exhaled deeply, pondering the possibilities of the questioning ever coming to a halt.

"Okay, let's get on with this," the Irritating Investigator said, preparing his pen and paper.

At last...

_Maximista tugged on my arm as we approached the entrance to the morning nourishment establishment of choice. Upon entering, I noticed that the Doting Doctor and Sweet Georgie were already inside. Maximista hurried to their table, which I noticed had vacant seats, apparently reserved for Maximista and myself. I took my seat as quietly as possible, wondering as to why Maximista had chosen to gather the four of us. _

"_Hey, Matt," Maximista greeted. "Hey, Georgie. How were your mornings?" _

"_Good," the Doting Doctor sighed. _

"_Okay," Sweet Georgie offered. _

"_Why do you both seem so down?" Maximista questioned. _

"_I didn't sleep much," Sweet Georgie replied. _

"_Me neither," the Doting Doctor agreed. "I had a lot on my mind." _

"_What plagues you?" I wondered. _

"_Do you really have to ask, Spinelli?" the Doting Doctor countered. _

"_Well, just because Dante being dead bothers the two of you doesn't mean it bothers us," Maximista proclaimed. "It's not like he was an old friend." _

"_Maxie, someone is dead," Sweet Georgie said loudly and then took a deep breath. "And we all know that it was murder. That's not something to be taken lightly." _

"_I don't take it lightly," Maximista sighed. "I just won't let it bring me down." _

"_Really?" the Doting Doctor asked. "What about when they open up a murder investigation and start making all of us suspects? Will it bring you down then?" _

"_Perhaps the Doting Doctor could calm his worried ways and the breakfast companions can order nourishment," I cut in. _

"_Good idea, Spinelli," Sweet Georgie smiled. "I'm starved." _

"_I'm hungry, too," Maximista agreed. "Let's order and then we can talk about Dante being dead." _

"_Do we have to talk about that?" Sweet Georgie questioned. _

"_It effects us," Maximista said decisively. _

"_The Jackal is in agreement with Fair Maximista," I offered. "The delicate situation of the Departed Fallen Detective is a matter of utmost importance." _

"_Spinelli's right," the Doting Doctor added. "We don't have to dwell on it, but we need to talk about what we're going to say when we start getting questioned." _

"_You mean, collaborate a story?" Sweet Georgie asked. _

"_Not collaborate," the Doting Doctor said. "Just make sure we all remember as much as possible. And make sure no one paints anyone else in a negative light unnecessarily." _

"_That sounds like collaborating," Maximista laughed. _

"_The Jackal does not believe the Doting Doctor wishes to compromise the investigation of the Law Abiding Ones," I noted. "He is only suggesting we prioritize the information we relay." _

"_Exactly," the Doting Doctor agreed. _

"_Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Maximista muttered. _

"_I guess not," Sweet Georgie sighed. _

"_Can I take your order?" the Smiling Server asked our table. _

_The dining quartet issued requests for nourishment, both liquid and solid. We discussed the manor of best order for relaying our story to the Law Abiding Ones. It was determined that no detail should be omitted purposely, but any piece of information that held no importance would be submitted to the Law Abiding Ones on request only. After the decisive discussion, the nourishment was delivered to our table and we partook of the meal in good spirits. When we had ceased the eating process, Maximista and Sweet Georgie departed to go in quest of clothing. _

"_How does the Doting Doctor interpret the situation?" I wondered. _

"_I think we'll all be fine as long as we stick to our plan," the Doting Doctor replied. _

"_The Jackal concurs with that sentiment," I muttered. _

"_Spinelli, how did you know that you and Maxie would work out?" the Doting Doctor questioned. _

"_The Jackal quite honestly did not have that knowledge," I answered. "It is a leap of faith that the Jackal takes in hopes that his Fair Maximista will stay with him forever." _

"_So, you just hope everything will work out?" the Doting Doctor asked. _

"_Precisely," I nodded. _

"_What if it doesn't?" the Doting Doctor inquired. _

"_Then the Jackal's heart shall hurt a pain most severe," I explained. "But the memories left in the wake of the heartbreak will always be fond in the Jackal's mind." _

"_I really like Georgie," the Doting Doctor supplied in confidence. "I just don't like the concept of getting burned by feelings." _

"_Does the Doting Doctor deem Sweet Georgie worth the risk?" I questioned. _

"_I don't know yet," the Doting Doctor replied. "We haven't spent a lot of time together, but I know she's different than other girls I've been with." _

"_Well, the Jackal does not contain the amount of experience with those of the opposite sex as is contained by the Doting Doctor, but he does know that different is most often a pleasant thing," I offered. _

"_Thanks, Spinelli," the Doting Doctor said graciously. "I really appreciate the insight." _

"_Most assuredly," I nodded. _

"_I'm going to take off, but I'll see you later," the Doting Doctor noted, taking his leave. _

_Upon the exit of the Doting Doctor, I retrieved my laptop from its trusted bag and began researching the case of the Departed Fallen Detective. The evidence was lacking to the point of nonexistence and there were no suspects listed. However, as I refreshed my page of research, I discovered a list of suspects had been added to the practically bare case file. The list of names included myself and my Maximista, which concerned me the most. But also logged most precariously on the list was the Doting Doctor, Sweet Georgie, Fair Lulu and the Infamous Mob Prince. _

"You hacked the PCPD case files?" the Irritating Investigator asked with wide eyes.

"The Jackal did what the Jackal does," I replied, defensively.

"I don't even know where to start with this breakfast," the Irritating Investigator groaned. "You basically told me that you all fit your stories together so that none of you look guilty. Which means all of your interviews are null and void."

"The Jackal has complied with the questions of the Law Abiding One," I muttered. "The validity of my word is unquestionable."

"That's laughable, Spinelli," the Irritating Investigator snapped. "Your word can only be valid if most people can understand what you're saying."

"The Jackal was of the persuasion that the Law Abiding One had decoded his speech," I noted.

"Just because I know what you're saying, doesn't mean it can't be misconstrued by someone else," the Irritating Investigator commented.

"'Tis not the fault of the Jackal," I said with the utmost confidence manageable.

"I think it is," the Irritating Investigator countered. "And we're going to sit here and talk until you tell me something that I can use in court. So you better start speaking clearly. Otherwise it's going to be a long day."

I did not believe the day could become any longer. And I had promised my Fair Maximista to only and always be myself. I would change for no one. Not even the Irritating Investigator.


	15. Fun Before Fears

A/N – I know this is late, but I have really been busy and I keep getting inspired to write all these one shots. I hope everyone can forgive me. I think I'll dedicate this update to Landon Donovan and the USA team in the World Cup. If you aren't watching that, you're REALLY missing out! Happy reading everyone, let me know what you think.

**Chapter 15 – Fun Before Fears**

_Lulu_

The whole interviewing thing was getting old. Really old.

"What did you do on Saturday?" Cooper asked.

"A lot of stuff," I replied.

"What did you do when you woke up?" Cooper wondered.

"Brushed my teeth, took a shower, combed my hair," I listed. "Again, a lot of stuff."

"Lulu, the more hostile you get, the more I have to wonder if you're hiding something," Cooper chided.

"You already think I'm hiding something," I laughed. "I might as well add to your suspicion."

"Let's try this again," Cooper said, taking a deep breath. "Tell me about your Saturday. And be specific."

"Alright," I sighed...

_I walked out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, planning my day in my head. I usually didn't sleep well at night, but last night, I'd slept soundly. And dreamed. Dreams about Johnny had filled my head as I slept and I was determined to find him so I could turn some of the dreams into realities. _

_I finished getting ready as fast as possible and quickly ate a bowl of cereal before heading to my office. Johnny Zacchara was supposed to be a ghost, but no one was completely off the radar. Everyone had some ties to the world. Parents, grandparents, brothers or sisters. No one was invisible, you just had to know what you were looking for. _

_My first thought was to look for police visits to Crimson Pointe. I had always heard that was where the Zaccharas lived, but I had no idea what the actual location was. I searched the PCPD database to try and get a location through questionings that I assumed had taken place there, but apparently Anthony Zacchara had always been detained elsewhere or called in. _

_Next, I searched medical files. I typed in the Zacchara name and cross referenced it with house calls and I actually got a hit. Maria Zacchara, a gunshot victim, dead on arrival. I read over the 911 call and found that the caller had given directions to the house. I printed out the directions and headed for my car. _

_The entire drive, I tried to think about what I would say to Johnny. I needed to find out what he knew about Dante. I needed to find out who he was. I wondered if I could even get in to see him. I knew I couldn't just walk in the front door because of the guards. I would have to be creative. I could almost hear my dad telling me to think like a Spencer. He always said the easiest way to con someone was to their face. The front gate was probably the least patrolled. _

_I parked about a quarter of a mile away and approached the gate. I watched the guards on patrol and timed their rotation. I slipped in undetected and quickly got to the house, still without being seen. I decided to continue with my straight forward approach and headed for the front door. I entered quietly and crept into the foyer. There didn't seem to be any guards inside, so I let my instincts guide me. I found a set of double doors and leaned my head against the door, listening for sounds inside. I didn't hear anything, but before I could open the door and go in, I heard someone approaching me. I quickly hid around the corner and watched as Johnny entered the room._

_I took a deep breath and paused a few seconds before heading for the room Johnny had entered. I knocked on the open door and he looked up at me, a smile gracing his handsome face immediately. A part of me had worried that he wouldn't want to see me again, but his smile calmed me. I smiled back and stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. _

"_You're not an easy person to find," I muttered, looking into his eyes. _

"_How did you do it?" Johnny wondered. _

"_I had to do quite a bit of digging," I replied. "Almost twenty years ago, there was a medical call to this house and a Maria Zacchara was taken to the hospital." _

"_My mother, when she died," Johnny offered. "I can't believe you went back that far." _

"_Well, I was sort of desperate to see you again," I admitted, walking closer to his desk. _

_He was watching me carefully. I wasn't sure what he wanted me to do, but I knew what I wanted. I wanted him. _

"_I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," Johnny whispered, never breaking eye contact. "And I don't want to." _

_He always knew how to take me off guard. He obviously knew he had surprised me because he was smiling slightly and my heart rate increased. I walked around his desk and came to a stop directly in front of him. _

"_I came here because I wanted answers," I noted, nervously curling a piece of hair around my ear. _

"_What kind of answers?" Johnny wondered. _

"_Answers about who you really are," I replied. _

"_Well, if you have questions, I'll answer them," Johnny muttered. _

_I looked at him and could see vulnerability. It surprised me and didn't at the same time. He would tell me whatever I wanted to know because he felt the way I did. _

"_I don't have any questions," I breathed, carefully sitting on the edge of his desk. "I got all of my answers just by looking in your eyes." _

"_What does that mean?" Johnny asked. _

_He always gave me a chance to back down. He never trapped me into saying something I didn't mean and I appreciated that. But I wasn't going to back down. I was going to explain to him exactly what I meant. _

"_I want to go the distance here," I replied, tilting my head slightly. "Do what it takes to find the kind of happiness I think I deserve. With you." _

_Johnny smiled at me and I gave him my best come hither look and beckoned him with my index finger as well. He stood up slowly and I locked my fingers in his belt loops and tugged. He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on either side of my legs. He was so close, but not touching me. I needed him to touch me. _

"_I want to give you as much pleasure as I possibly can," he whispered in my ear. _

_I placed my hands on his chest and shoved him back enough so my eyes could meet his. I felt his hands creep up my legs and dance over my thighs to my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him towards me, crashing our lips together. I couldn't believe it, but there seemed to be more passion between us than there had been the night before. We continued to kiss until I had to pull away for air. _

"_Is someone going to wander in here and get an eye full?" I wondered, trying to catch my breath. _

"_Mm, no," Johnny murmured into my neck as he layered soft kisses against my skin. "This is my work time. I'm not to be disturbed during my work time." _

"_Well," I smirked. "I'd hate to...mm...disturb you." _

_His teeth grazed my neck and he bit the skin playfully. I let out a laugh before dragging his lips back to mine for another kiss. Every kiss was so passionate, more passionate than the one before. My body was on fire and he seemed to feel the same heat inside. His hand wandered over my back and he pushed at the hem of my shirt until his fingers came in contact with my skin. I sighed into his mouth at his touch and his tongue took the opportunity to start a battle with mine. My fingers combed through his hair and I arched my body up to press against his. _

_He broke our kiss in favor of pressing his lips to my neck again. He seemed to love a certain spot there and I loved what he was doing to me. My hands fell to the front of his shirt and worked slowly to unbutton the top button. I continued my slow pace and he groaned against my neck. I was torturing him and I couldn't help but to smile as I realized exactly how much he wanted me. I grazed my lips lightly over his chest and he responded by pushing his hand higher up my back underneath my shirt. I almost had the last button of his shirt undone when he removed his lips from my skin and pulled back to look me in the eyes. _

"_What?" I asked, breathing heavily. _

"_I have a bed upstairs," Johnny whispered. _

"_Upstairs is a long way away," I replied and he smiled. _

"_I just want to give you the best I have to offer," Johnny muttered. _

"_I just want you," I said honestly. _

"_I'm yours," Johnny murmured before pressing his lips to mine again. _

_I unbuttoned the last button and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He caught the hem of my shirt in his hands and yanked upward, effectively pulling the shirt off of my body. He looked me over with a hungry gaze and I returned the favor. He was so gorgeous and it only seemed to get better the more I saw. His mouth met mine again and I immediately deepened our kiss. My hands fell to the button on his jeans, but froze when I heard the shrill ringing of a phone. _

"_I don't have to get it," Johnny offered, panting slightly. _

"_You should," I whispered, pulling away from him. _

_He nodded and kissed me softly once more. He moved from in front of me and picked up the receiver. _

"_Hello?" I heard him say. "This is he." _

_I suddenly wondered if this was the right thing to do. I trusted Johnny without reservations. But I really had no reason to trust him that way and my unusual willingness to be so trusting scared me. I had come here to ask Johnny so many question and had foregone all of them within seconds. He had the ability to turn me into someone else. Someone who wasn't analytical and self conscious. I liked the way he made me feel, but I couldn't help but think I was being naive in some way. _

_I slid off the desk and found my shirt and pulled it over my head. He looked at me questioningly as he continued with his call and I just smiled. _

"_Hold on," Johnny said into the phone and then looked to me. "What's wrong?" _

"_I don't want to interrupt your work time," I shrugged, thanking the Spencer in me for being able to come up with a lie so quickly. _

_His brow knit in confusion, but I just turned to walk away. When he didn't call out to stop me I assumed he really was busy. I carefully left the estate and made it back to my car. I took a deep breath and leaned my head against the steering wheel. I didn't want to leave and I hated myself a little for being so scared of what was happening between Johnny and me. I sighed and shifted my car into gear, trying to leave all thoughts of Johnny behind. _

"Are you in love with Zacchara?" Cooper asked me directly.

"What?" I wondered, shocked by his question.

"Are you in love with Zacchara?" Cooper repeated.

"I don't see what that has to do with Dante being dead," I deflected.

I didn't like him asking me questions that were personal. What was going on with Johnny and me was none of Cooper's business.

"Well, if you're in love with Zacchara, you'll try to protect him," Cooper said reasonably. "And with the way you talk about him, it seems to me you have fallen for him. So I'll ask you one more time. Are you in love with Zacchara?"


	16. Setting the Interview

A/N – Wow, I really don't have much to say as far as an author's note goes. I guess I'm just hoping people are still interested in this story. I know with all the one shots I've been writing lately, I haven't been updating regularly. If you would rather me focus on the stories I have going, leave me a comment that says so. I only want to write what you all want to read. Anyway, on to the story!

**Chapter 16 – Setting the Interview**

_Georgie_

I chewed my thumbnail nervously as Cooper made a note about the last thing I had said. He finished writing and looked up at me and sighed.

"I was hoping to have eliminated you as a suspect by now," Cooper sighed.

"So, I guess that means you think I did it?" I asked.

"No, it means I don't think you didn't do it," Cooper replied.

Pretty confusing answer if you ask me.

"So, what other questions do you have for me?" I wondered.

"You act like you're in a hurry to get out of here," Cooper observed.

"I think it's only natural to want to get out of a room with no windows," I shrugged.

"Do you not feel safe here?" Cooper asked.

"I feel safe, but I also feel trapped," I answered.

"Well, technically there are no charges filed against you," Cooper noted. "You're here voluntarily and you can leave at any time."

"What would happen if I left?" I questioned.

"Well, without your piece of the story first hand, we might be led to believe you were guilty," Cooper said. "Or maybe it wouldn't matter. Hard to tell."

I knew he was trying to guilt me into staying. But it didn't make it any less effective.

"Let's just get on with the interview," I decided.

"Good choice," Cooper smiled. "Tell me about your shopping trip."

"Okay," I nodded...

_I watched Maxie come out of the dressing room and give a little twirl. That meant she was pleased with the outfit she had chosen. I smiled, offering my approval and she clapped her hands together in excitement. _

"_I think Spinelli is going to love this," Maxie said happily. "He's taking me out to dinner to celebrate our two year anniversary in a couple of weeks and I want to really get him going." _

"_Well, you look beautiful," I replied. "I think Spinelli will love it, too." _

"_So, where is the dress you're trying on?" Maxie asked. _

"_What?" I wondered. _

"_The dress you're going to buy to wear to dinner with Matt tonight," Maxie explained. _

"_I was just going to wear something out of my closet," I shrugged._

"_No, you're not!" Maxie exclaimed. _

"_Why not?" I questioned. _

"_Because, you have to impress him," Maxie answered. _

"_But I want him to like me for me," I replied. _

"_And he will," Maxie assured. "But if you're wearing a new outfit, he'll know you're interested in him, too." _

"_How would he know the difference between a new outfit and an old one?" I wondered. _

"_Matt has been my friend long enough to know," Maxie said, walking back into the dressing room. _

"_So for him to know that I'm interested in him, I have to buy something new?" I asked. _

"_Exactly," Maxie called as she changed. "Matt is shallow first and foremost. No matter how you act later, he's going to form his opinion about whether or not he's wasting his time from the first sight of you tonight."_

"_Why would I want to date someone so shallow?" I questioned. _

"_Because he genuinely likes you," Maxie said, coming back out, her new outfit slung over one arm. "And everyone has personality issues. If a guy's worst trait is the fact that they're shallow, you're getting lucky." _

"_Alright," I sighed. "What kind of dress should I get?"_

"_Well, I would recommend something green," Maxie replied. "That's your best color." _

"_Okay," I agreed. "Do you already have a dress in mind?" _

"_You know me so well," Maxie giggled, hurrying off to find my dress. _

_I started to follow her, but stopped when I heard my cell phone ringing. The caller id read Port Charles Police Department and I answered, assuming Mac was calling. _

"_Hello," I said into the phone._

"_Georgie?" Cooper asked. _

"_Yes," I said warily. _

"_Hey, what are you up to?" Cooper questioned, sounding entirely too friendly for my taste._

"_Shopping," I said shortly._

"_Alone?" Cooper wondered. _

"_Does it matter?" I countered. _

"_I guess not," he sighed. _

"_Why don't you get to the point, Cooper," I suggested._

"_I need you to come in tomorrow morning," Cooper said softly. _

"_Why?" I wondered. _

"_I need to do a more in depth interview about the events of last night," Cooper explained._

"_You mean how Dante died?" I asked. _

"_Right," Cooper answered._

"_Am I a suspect?" I questioned._

"_I haven't really narrowed down a suspect list," Cooper deflected._

"_Have you talked to Mac about this?" I inquired._

"_He told me he trusted me to handle it," Cooper answered._

"_Did you mention you would be interviewing me?" I wondered._

"_Is this an interview?" Cooper questioned. "Because you keep asking a lot of questions like you aren't comfortable coming in."_

"_I just don't see the point," I muttered._

"_Georgie, where did you-" Maxie's words died on her lips as she saw I was on the phone._

"_Is that Maxie with you?" Cooper asked._

"_Yes," I sighed._

"_Could you ask her to come in tomorrow, too?" Cooper requested. _

"_Are you asking everyone?" I wondered. _

"_Yeah," Cooper admitted. "And if you would ask Maxie it would save me a call."_

"_Fine," I agreed. "I'll tell her and we'll both come in. What time?"_

"_About ten," Cooper replied. "I appreciate it."_

_I hung up the phone not saying another word to him. I didn't like having to answer more questions. Or the fact that Maxie would have to as well. Maxie looked at me expectantly, obviously seeing that the call had upset me._

"_That was Cooper," I informed her. "We both have to go in at ten in the morning."_

"_Go in, where?" Maxie asked. _

"_To the police station," I answered. "It's for Dante's murder investigation."_

"_Great," Maxie said, rolling her eyes._

"_We expected this," I reminded her. "We'll just do what Matt said." _

"_Right," Maxie sighed. "And hope it works."_

"_I think it will," I said, faking confidence. "So is that the dress you want me to get?"_

_Maxie's eyes lit up and she nodded. She shoved the dress on me and I went to try it on. I was hoping that everything really would work out, but I wasn't as sure as I pretended to be for Maxie._

"So, you agreed to the conspiracy, too?" Cooper asked.

"It's not a conspiracy," I said defensively. "I've been completely honest with you today."

"Complete honesty is when you say everything," Cooper said softly. "Can you really look me in the eye and tell me you haven't kept some things to yourself?"

"Would it matter if I did?" I challenged. "You're so busy trying to solve this case by any means necessary that you're being paranoid with the wrong people."

"And who are the right people?" Cooper wondered.

I sucked in a breath and tried to get my emotions under control.

"I don't know," I said, fixing my glare on him. "But it's not me."


	17. Something out of a Romance Novel

A/N – I hope everyone is doing well! I love reading everyone's picks of who killed that miserable rat. It's really fun to see how everyone sees it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review!

**Chapter 17 – Something out of a Romance Novel**

_Johnny_

"How long was Lulu at your house?" Cooper asked, looking me in the eye.

"I don't know, I didn't look at the time," I shrugged.

He just nodded, apparently trusting my answer. I was wondering if I had a tell of when I was being honest and when I was hiding something. That wouldn't be good at all.

"So, the two of you were kissing?" Cooper questioned, treading lightly.

"That's one way of putting it," I nodded.

"How would you put it?" Cooper asked.

"I thought that was too much information," I noted.

"I need to know the depth of your feelings for Lulu," Cooper replied. "So, tell me. What are the depth of your feelings for Lulu? A few kisses aren't just kisses to you, so that means you're pretty serious about her, right?"

"This interview isn't about my feelings for Lulu," I argued.

"Right," Cooper sighed. "The heartless mobster couldn't show the presence of a soul, could he?"

He laughed self-righteously and I clenched my fist under the table. There was nothing I hated more than being called a heartless mobster.

"Do you want to get on with this interview or what?" I questioned.

"Sure," Cooper agreed. "Tell me why Lulu left."

"Okay," I muttered...

_Lulu's hands were working the buttons of my shirt and when I felt her near the end of her task I pulled back slightly._

"_What?" Lulu asked, breathing heavily._

"_I have a bed upstairs," I noted, breathing hard as well._

"_Upstairs is a long way away," Lulu replied._

_I smiled at the obvious way she wanted me. It was the same way I felt about her._

"_I just want to give you the best I have to offer," I muttered, leaning closer to her again._

"_I just want you," Lulu countered, vocalizing what I had already learned through the look in her eyes._

"_I'm yours," I whispered, kissing her fully again. _

_Quickly, we were both shirtless and I was gazing at Lulu with amazement. Every inch of skin I uncovered just showed more of her pure beauty. She was a goddess. Her face was masked with desire and need, so much so that I had to kiss her immediately. As soon as our mouths were fused together, her tongue made an effort to glide with mine, and I didn't refuse her. I sighed slightly when her hands made contact with the front of my jeans and then groaned when the phone rang, causing Lulu to freeze in her place._

"_I don't have to get it," I offered, not wanting to wait any longer to make love to her._

"_You should," Lulu whispered, breaking all the skin on skin contact that we were sharing._

_I leaned in to kiss her again, immediately missing the feel of her against me. I broke the kiss and picked up the phone. _

"_Hello?" I asked._

"John Zacchara?_" a voice questioned in return._

"_This is he," I confirmed, wondering who it could be._

"My name is Detective Cooper Barrett, we spoke last night at Jake's_," he offered._

"_I remember," I replied, noticing Lulu had put her shirt back on._

"I have more questions for you_," Cooper said, but I wasn't paying attention._

"_Hold on," I said into the phone and then turned my attention to Lulu who was smiling at me, but not as genuinely as I would have liked. "What's wrong?"_

"_I don't want to interrupt your work time," Lulu answered, but I didn't believe her. _

_She looked scared about something as she turned and walked out of my office. We had been moving at lightening speed, so it was natural for her to hesitate. But I didn't want her to. I wanted her to know, like I did, that with us there was no such thing as too much too soon. Because there could never be too much at all. I knew already that I would always want more where Lulu was concerned._

"Zacchara, are you there?_" Cooper called into the phone. _

"_I'm here," I replied, snapping out of my trance. "You said something about questions?"_

"Yes, I need you to come in to the PCPD tomorrow morning to answer more questions about last night and exactly what you know about what happened to Dante_," Cooper informed me._

"_Fine," I sighed. "What time do you want me there?"_

"Ten_," Cooper answered. "_I appreciate your cooperation._"_

_I hung up the phone without another word and sighed again. Things had certainly taken a turn for the worse in the last five minutes. Not only was I being asked more questions about the death of Dante, but also, and worse in my mind, Lulu had just walked out with no explanation about why or where she was going. I had to wonder if she wanted me to chase her or not. Maybe she didn't want me as much as I thought, after all._

_I looked at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was already lunchtime. I decided to head into Port Charles to get something to eat. Then when I was done, I would make a casual stop by Lulu's place. I didn't exactly know where it was, but I had a tech team at my disposal and I planned to use them. _

_It was odd, being in Port Charles. I hadn't been there since my mother died. I found a familiar diner and went in, taking note of the cozy feel of the place. I could imagine meeting Lulu there for coffee and talking about our days. Domestic things that seemed out of reach to me before were suddenly possible in my mind if I had her._

_I took a seat at the counter and ordered a burger. I ate quickly, taking note of the good food and service and deciding to come back. I had lived without normalcy for so long and I didn't want to anymore. As I paid for my food, I received a text from my tech team, giving me Lulu's address. I thanked the waitress and headed for my car. _

_On the drive over to Lulu's place, I contemplated what I should say to her. A small part of me still worried that she didn't want to see me. But I wouldn't allow myself to think negatively. Everything about us was right. She left because she did have questions about me and she was afraid of the fact that she didn't want answers more than she wanted me. She was afraid of the pull between us and I could hardly blame her. I was scared, too._

_I pulled up beside her house and exited my car, making my way up the front walk to her door. I realized I hadn't come up with something to say to her, so I thought on my feet as I knocked on the door. After a few minutes, she answered with a surprised expression on her face. _

"_You're here," Lulu noted._

"_In the flesh," I nodded, mentally chastising myself for the lame comeback. _

"_Why are you here?" Lulu asked._

"_You left my place without much explanation about why you were leaving," I said, fighting the natural urge to reach out and touch her. "I guess I needed an explanation." _

"_What if I didn't want to give you one?" Lulu wondered, scrutinizing my every move with her eyes._

"_I suppose I would have to deal with it," I replied. "However, I can be very persistent when I'm trying to get something I want."_

"_And what is it you want?" Lulu questioned._

"_You," I answered. "Not just your body, but all of you. I want to know everything about you. You told me you wanted to go the distance. Well, I want the same thing."_

_Lulu smiled for the first time and I breathed a sigh of relief. She was nervous and trying to fight herself, but I could see she wouldn't last much longer. She wanted to give in to the rush of what could be as much as I did._

"_Do you want to come in?" Lulu asked, stepping aside so I could enter. _

"_I thought you'd never ask," I smiled, brushing past her and making sure to make contact._

"_So, what do you want to know about me first?" Lulu wondered. _

"_Why you left my place earlier," I replied, taking a seat on her couch. _

"_I got scared," Lulu admitted, sitting next to me. "I don't trust easily, but apparently that rule doesn't apply to you. I didn't like that I was trusting you so much, so I chickened out."_

"_That's understandable," I nodded, taking her hand. "I sort of feel the same way. I just feel like it's okay to tell you anything and I've never felt like that with anyone."_

"_Exactly," Lulu agreed, squeezing my hand._

"This sounds like something out of a romance novel," Cooper complained. "Two young lovers scared to find themselves in each other."

I laughed at his description. Lulu and I were something that didn't seem real to me before either. All of the actions and emotions that had taken place between us in the short time we had known each other was kind of like something out of a romantic movie, not real life. But I was glad it was real in my life.

"Well, I answered your question," I pointed out.

"That you did," Cooper agreed. "Are you ready to admit you're in love with her yet, or do you want to keep stonewalling?"

I tilted my head to the side and studied him. He wasn't wearing the arrogant smirk that he usually did when he asked me a patronizing question about my relationship with Lulu. He looked a little defeated. Like he could tell that he wasn't going to get any information out of me or Lulu.

"If you think you know how I feel about Lulu, I'm not going to argue with you," I muttered.

He nodded, making a note in his notebook. When it came to how I felt about Lulu, I seemed to be an open book and I didn't mind at all. I would tell the world I was in love with Lulu Spencer.


	18. Pure Bliss

A/N – I think some people may have been waiting on this. Not sure. ;) I hope everyone enjoys! Please leave me a comment because I love them!

**Chapter 18 – Pure Bliss**

_Lulu_

I was getting bored.

"Do you want to tell me about Zacchara coming over?" Cooper asked.

"Do I have a choice?" I countered.

"You're here under your own free will," Cooper reminded me. "You don't have to answer anything."

"I know, but if I don't answer you get all paranoid and start blaming Johnny and I don't want that," I answered.

Wow, I couldn't have made Johnny look any guiltier if I tried after that last statement.

"Just tell me about Zacchara coming to your house," Cooper suggested.

Why wasn't he pushing me about Johnny's guilt? Did Cooper think I was covering for Johnny or did he realize that the only thing I was covering was how in love I was?

"Alright," I said softly...

_I looked down at the phone in my hand and knew I was doing the right thing. I quickly dialed the number I wanted and put the phone to my ear and listened to three rings before someone picked up._

"Hello?_" Mayor Floyd said._

"_Hi, it's Lulu," I replied. "I know this isn't the best time, but I've reached a decision and I wanted you to be the first to know."_

"What's that?_" he asked curiously._

"_I'm stepping down," I answered. "I'm officially ending my career as the Port Charles district attorney."_

"Lulu, I know I've been hard on you recently and you've been under a lot of pressure-_" Mayor Floyd started, but I cut in._

"_I just don't think it's my calling," I interrupted. "I don't even really care about the outcomes of the trials and the city deserves better than that."_

"Okay_," Mayor Floyd sighed. "_I'll expect a formal resignation on Monday._"_

_I hung up the phone and smiled to myself. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I heard someone knocking on my door and I wondered to myself who it could be. I considered ignoring it, but something inside me told me to answer the door. I quickly headed for the front door and pulled it open._

_Johnny._

"_You're here," I said, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. _

_Didn't I have something better to say to him?_

"_In the flesh," Johnny nodded. _

_Well at least I wasn't the only one struggling with making conversation right now._

"_Why are you here?" I asked, hoping he had come for answers because if he wanted me to, I would give them._

"_You left my place without much explanation about why you were leaving," Johnny muttered. "I guess I needed an explanation."_

"_What if I don't want to give you one?" I asked, watching him carefully._

"_I suppose I would have to deal with it," Johnny replied. "However, I can be very persistent when I'm trying to get something I want."_

"_And what is it you want?" I wondered, trying not to give away how much I wanted him._

"_You," Johnny said simply. "Not just your body, but all of you. I want to know everything about you. You told me you wanted to go the distance. Well, I want the same thing."_

_I smiled the smile that I always seemed to be wearing when Johnny was around. I heard him expel a breath and I realized I hadn't even let me him inside yet._

"_Do you want to come in?" I asked, moving to the side so he could get in the door._

"_I thought you'd never ask," Johnny whispered, stepping inside and brushing against me ever so gently._

"_So what do you want to know first?" I wondered, trying to ignore the fluttering I felt when Johnny made contact with me._

"_Why you left my place earlier," Johnny answered, making himself comfortable on my couch. _

_I liked that he felt at home in my home. It was comforting._

"_I got scared," I admitted, taking a seat next to him. "I don't trust easily, but apparently that rule doesn't apply to you. I didn't like that I was trusting you so much, so I chickened out."_

"_That's understandable," Johnny replied, grasping my hand. "I sort of feel the same way. I just feel like it's okay to tell you anything and I've never felt like that with anyone."_

"_Exactly," I nodded, squeezing his hand._

"_Can we make a deal?" Johnny asked._

"_Sure," I agreed._

"_Let's just go with this," Johnny smiled. "Whatever it is we're feeling, let's just let it lead us and not question it."_

"_Okay," I said softly. "So no more being afraid?"_

"_Right," Johnny said, lacing our fingers together and pressing a kiss to my hand._

"_Okay, then I'm going to be honest," I muttered, taking a deep breath. "I want you so much and it's such foreign territory to me. I've never been so drawn to someone in my entire life."_

"_I feel the same way," Johnny said, pressing another kiss to the top of my hand. "It's like this force I can't fight. And I'm finding that I don't want to. I want to want you this way because it makes me happy. Happiness is so rare in my life and I want to hang on to it."_

_Johnny was saying everything I was feeling and it made me want him even more. I didn't want to admit it, but this was the feeling I had been searching for all of my life. This intense passion made up of lust and recklessness and...love._

"_You make me happy, too," I muttered, bringing a hand to his face. "I know it hasn't even been an entire day, but what's happened between us has been amazing."_

_He turned his head and kissed my palm. His lips against my skin made my breath catch in the back of my throat. I let go of his hand and brought my other hand to his face and cradled it in my fingertips forcing his gaze on me. I gently traced the outline of his jaw and I heard the pace of his breathing accelerate. I leaned in and connected our lips in a slow burning kiss. A kiss that set me on fire and filled me with desire for the gorgeous man in front of me._

_His tongue traced my lips and I let him deepen the kiss. I scooted closer to him and his hands found my waist, clutching me to him. I wanted to go fast and slow at the same time. I ached for him, but I wanted to savor the feeling of being together for the first time. Johnny pulled his mouth away from mine and I gasped for air as he immediately started trailing kisses across my jaw and to my neck. My fingers dove into his hair and my head tilted back so he could have full access to do whatever he wanted to me. His hands urged me closer still, so I took the opportunity to climb into his lap, placing one knee on either side of his thighs. My hands trembled slightly as I tried to focus on getting his shirt off. He ran his hand along the small of my back beneath my shirt and I gasped. _

"_How did you get so soft?" Johnny muttered, pulling back to look in my eyes and I could feel the blush rise in my cheeks._

_Johnny's hands pushed upward and I raised my arms so he could remove my shirt. He leaned down and placed butterfly kisses on my shoulder, further igniting the passion I had for him. I once again brought my hands to his shirt so I could work the buttons. I let my hands wander downwards as I continued unbuttoning the shirt and I sought out his lips, desperate to kiss him again. As soon as our lips made contact, I abandoned the process and ripped his shirt open, sighing as I pressed myself against him to feel the skin on skin contact. I broke the kiss and leaned in, pressing a kiss right below his ear._

"_How did you get so sexy?" I whispered seductively and Johnny let out a primal sound before pulling my mouth back to his so he could devour me._

_Our hands caressed each other as our kiss exploded to yet another level of passion. I felt one of his hands settle at the clasp of my bra and stop as he slowed our kiss, pressing me to him with his other hand. I moved my hands to the base of his neck and tenderly stroked his skin, wanting to assure him I wanted this. He took my signal the way I intended and slowly unclasped the material. He pushed the straps down my shoulders and I shrugged it off as he broke our kiss. He pulled back out of my arms and just smiled, running his eyes over the flesh that was exposed to him for the first time. _

"_Beautiful," Johnny declared, pressing a kiss to the hollow of my throat. "Absolutely perfect." Another kiss to my collarbone. "So amazing." Another kiss, continuing his path. "And mine."_

_I smiled at his final words as he continued to kiss me all over. I was his. There was no questioning that I was his right now and forever. I needed him to know that I was his. I needed him to realize how I was feeling and I was desperately hoping he was feeling the same. I pulled his lips back to mine for a soft kiss and caught his hands, entwining our fingers as I pulled away, leaning my forehead against his._

"_Johnny," I breathed, trying to find the words._

"_If you don't want this..." Johnny said, but didn't finish. _

_He didn't know what to do if I didn't want this because he wanted it so badly. I could see the desire clearly in his eyes and I shook my head, letting him know I wanted this very much. I brought one of his hands that was linked with mine to my chest and placed it over my heart. I flattened his palm against my skin and held his wrist to keep it in place._

"_Do you feel that?" I asked and he nodded._

"_Your heart is beating so fast," Johnny noted._

"_Only for you," I smiled. "It's never done that before and I know it won't for anyone else. I...I love you."_

_He kissed me softly in response, but before I could really kiss him back he pulled away. He used his hand that wasn't pressed against my chest to take my free hand and press it to his heart. He mimicked what I had done earlier and I felt his heart beating wildly beneath my palm. My breathing was so unsteady as I waited for him to say whatever it was he was thinking._

"_My heart is only yours, Lulu," Johnny promised. "Forever. I love you, too."_

_I smiled and brushed my lips against his. He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled back at me. His hand against my heart slid down and his other hand followed it. He fingered the button of my jeans and looked into my eyes as he slowly unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down. He turned our bodies and laid me down on the couch beneath him, trailing burning kisses down my body as he pushed my jeans down my thighs. _

_When he finished, he kissed his way upward once more and I hooked a leg around his waist and latched my arms around his neck to hold his body to mine. Our lips met and I deepened the kiss instantly. I let my hands slowly glide around to his chest and down his abs. I lightly traced my fingernails against the area right below his belly button, delighting in the soft sound that escaped his lips at my torture. _

_I made quick work of his jeans, pushing them down his legs and bringing his body into contact with mine again. So little material was separating us and I could feel that his desire matched mine. I pressed up against him and he groaned again, breaking our kiss and moving his lips to my neck, nibbling and kissing my skin. I let my hands play with the waistband of his boxers and he let his hands settle at my waist as well. He raised up to look me in the eye, his piercing stare telling me again how much he loved me and how badly he wanted to show me that love. Our hands worked swiftly and simultaneously to remove the rest of the clothing that was keeping us from each other. _

_His hands made their way to my bare hips as he prepared to unite us. I closed my eyes, waiting for the wave of passion, but instead I felt him gently kiss my eyelids. I looked up at him and he smiled, kissing me gently on the lips. _

"_I want to look in your eyes," Johnny breathed. "I want to see how I make you feel when I show you how much I love you."_

"_Okay," I whispered shakily, my breath catching as he slowly filled me._

_I struggled to keep my eyes open because the emotion was so extreme. He let out a shaky breath as well as we started our rhythm together. I had never felt anything close to the feeling I had while Johnny made love to me. Sex before had been meaningless, just a high that passed even quicker than it came. But with Johnny I was complete. I was loved, cherished and worshiped. Every part of my body was discovered by his lips and his hands. Every sense I had was on overdrive and I literally trembled beneath him as he pushed me closer to the brink. In a final movement, he pushed me over the edge and I let out a sound that I had never made before, expressing exactly how good I was feeling to him._

_He collapsed into my arms and I held him tightly to me, running my fingertips through his hair as he steadied his breathing. His lips skimmed my neck and moved up over my jaw before finally finding my own in the sweetest kiss of my life. He pulled away from me gently and I moved over so he could lay behind me on the couch. I turned into him and tucked my head against his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I felt his lips press against my forehead. He reached for a blanket from the back of the couch and tucked it around us, smiling at me as I looked up at him sleepily._

"_I love you," I said, leaning up to kiss him softly._

"_I love you," Johnny muttered, kissing me again._

_I settled back into his arms and closed my eyes, falling asleep quickly and sleeping more soundly than ever before._

"Do you really believe in falling in love so quickly?" Cooper asked.

"I didn't," I laughed. "If you had told me 48 hours ago that I would feel this way, I would have called you crazy. But it's real. I do love Johnny."

"And you don't regret sleeping with him?" Cooper questioned.

"No, not that it's any of your business," I replied.

I didn't need Cooper's approval or anyone else's. I just needed Johnny.

"I'm not trying to overstep, but it really makes the case more difficult," Cooper sighed. "I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yeah," I nodded.

Johnny and I couldn't be trusted. A love that ran so deep so quickly was dangerous in an investigation because it guaranteed that we would both protect each other if need be.

"I'm happy for you," Cooper offered and I tried not to look too shocked. "I really hope I don't have to put you or him in prison because it's clear you're good for each other. Either that or you're perfect for each other because you both lie well."

I laughed. Johnny and I were perfect together, alright.


	19. Dinner Date

A/N – So, maybe a little more insight into the mystery. Maybe not. Depends on your own theories, I suppose. I was totally supposed to post this earlier, but I have a terrible memory and no one reminded me about it. Anyway, better late than never, I suppose. It's not Jolu, but they return shortly. Until then, enjoy Matt and please leave a review!

**Chapter 19 – Dinner Date**

_Matt_

The interview was bound to be over soon. That's what I kept telling myself. Cooper had asked me every question under the sun and there couldn't be too many more things he thought relevant to the case.

"I'm going to need to hear about your date on Saturday night," Cooper muttered, yawning.

So he was as tired of this as I was.

"That's sort of private," I replied.

"The conversation is important because both you and Georgie are suspects," Cooper explained.

"I guess that makes sense," I sighed.

I hated that I was starting to put up less of a fight with Cooper. What if I said the wrong thing?

"So?" Cooper asked. "What happened?"

"The night started with me picking her up. Then we went to the Metro Court for dinner," I answered...

"_You look really beautiful," I said, pulling out her chair in the restaurant._

"_Thank you," Georgie muttered, her cheeks flushing._

"_So, how has your day been since breakfast?" I asked._

"_Good," Georgie answered. "Maxie and I went shopping. And Cooper called."_

"_Do you have an interview tomorrow as well?" I wondered._

"_Yeah," Georgie nodded. "Maxie and I both do."_

"_What do you think he's going to ask?" I questioned._

"_Probably everything he needs to so he can find out the truth," Georgie replied._

"_Does anyone know the truth?" I asked with a smile._

"_I think we both know the answer to that," Georgie said, matching my smile._

"_I guess as long as Cooper doesn't, everything is okay," I noted. "But you know, we don't have to talk about Dante's murder all night."_

"_No, we don't," Georgie agreed. "In fact, I think it's best if we don't."_

"_So," I began, changing the subject. "What is your favorite color?"_

"_Really?" Georgie asked with a laugh._

"_Yeah," I nodded. "We're supposed to be getting to know each other, right?"_

"_I guess," Georgie giggled. "But, I've never been asked that question before, except by my sister. I'm not even sure."_

"_Well, you look amazing in green," I offered and she laughed even harder. "What?"_

"_It's just that Maxie said you...well, she sort of told me you were shallow," Georgie explained._

"_Of course she did," I sighed. "I guess I am. But trust me, with you it's not going to make a difference whether I'm shallow or not. You're gorgeous all the time."_

_Georgie blushed and we continued talking until the waiter came to take our orders. We ordered dinner and it was soon delivered to the table. We talked some more over dinner and split a piece of the famous cherry cheesecake the Metro Court served for dessert._

"_Wow, no wonder this is famous," Georgie commented._

"_I know, I can't believe I've never ordered it before," I agreed._

"_I think I'll have to make sure I do from now on," Georgie replied._

"_Next time we come, we'll definitely share a piece again," I said, trying not to sound too hopeful. "That is, if you want to go out with me again."_

"_I would love to," Georgie said softly._

"_Great," I smiled._

_Georgie and I talked a little while longer before deciding to call it a night. We exited the hotel and I opened the door of my car so she could get in. I took the drive back to her place slow, wanting to savor the time together. Something I had never done in the past. When we finally made it to her house, we sat in the car, talking for awhile. It made me hopeful she didn't want the night to end either._

"_Oh wow," Georgie muttered, looking at the clock. "It's almost midnight."_

"_Time flies when you're having fun," I said, smiling at her._

"_I have had a lot of fun tonight," Georgie offered. "More than I can remember having recently."_

"_I'm glad," I replied. "And honestly, a little surprised. I'm not used to the dating thing and I wasn't sure I'd be good at it."_

"_Well, you were very good at it," Georgie said, settling her hand over mine._

_I squeezed her hand gently and opened the door to my car. I got out and walked around to her door, opening it for her and helping her out. Our hands linked again and we walked slowly to her front door._

"_I'll call you," I said, kissing her hand._

"_You better," Georgie smiled._

_I leaned in slightly, waiting for her to decide if she wanted a goodnight kiss. She apparently did because she leaned in as well and our lips met in a sweet kiss. It didn't last long, but it was a first kiss that beat all other kisses I had previously experienced. We were both grinning widely as we stepped apart and I watched as she headed inside her house. I stood there for a minute, gathering my senses and then walked back to my car. I drove to Kelly's, deciding to pick up a cup of coffee before I went home. I walked inside and saw Spinelli at the counter._

"_Hey," I said, taking a seat next to him._

"_The Doting Doctor is in high spirits," Spinelli observed. "The Jackal takes this as proof that the date with Sweet Georgie was pleasant."_

"_It was amazing," I replied. "We talked forever about everything."_

"_Does everything include the precarious situation surrounding the death of the Fallen Detective?" Spinelli wondered._

"_Well, a little," I admitted. "But we tried to stay away from that topic. Death isn't exactly romantic."_

"_Indeed," Spinelli agreed._

"_So, are you getting interviewed tomorrow?" I questioned._

"_Unfortunately," Spinelli responded. "It seems all of those present on the night of the deadly, yet surprisingly happy occasion are now suspects."_

"_You mean Lulu and that guy she was with, too?" I asked._

"_Ah, yes, the Infamous Mob Prince and Fair Lulu are being considered among those who may have committed the crime," Spinelli nodded._

"_Do you think he'll figure it out?" I wondered._

"_It is impossible to tell without being a proverbial fly on the wall in the future interrogation sessions of the suspects," Spinelli replied._

"_I don't think he will," I offered. "As long as we remember our plan, everything should be fine."_

"_The Jackal concurs," Spinelli smiled._

_I ordered my coffee and Spinelli and I made small talk while the waitress poured the coffee into the to go cup. After I got my coffee, I wished Spinelli a good night and headed home._

"You called it a plan," Cooper noted.

"I didn't know what else to call it," I shrugged.

"It shouldn't exist," Cooper said angrily. "I don't know why I'm bothering right now."

"Me neither," I said, rolling my eyes. "No one's going to shed a tear over his death anyway."

"Sounds like the response of someone who thinks killing can be a public service," Cooper replied. "We call them cleaners. You think Dante was a menace to society and his death was best for everybody."

"Wow, that's a leap," I scoffed.

"Maybe in your eyes," Cooper muttered.


	20. Teasing and Talking

A/N – We're really in the home stretch of this story now. I hope everyone enjoys this. It's Jolu, how could you not? LOL! Thanks to everyone who continues to read and comment! It means the world to me!

**Chapter 20 – Teasing and Talking**

_Johnny_

"So...you and Lulu...slept together," Cooper muttered, obviously very uncomfortable.

"Right," I nodded, smiling at the memory.

"Then what?" Cooper asked.

"We fell asleep," I replied.

"What happened when you woke up?" Cooper wondered.

"How many details do you want?" I countered.

"Don't push it," Cooper answered. "I think you know what's important and what's not."

"I know what's important to me," I smiled. "Lulu."

"Which is why this interview is pretty much a waste of time," Cooper sighed.

"So why are we still here?" I asked.

"Because, you could still slip up," Cooper shrugged.

I looked at him closely and sized him up. He couldn't make me slip up. But I figured I'd humor him anyway.

"I guess Lulu and I were asleep for about an hour," I said slowly...

_I was awake, but scared to open my eyes. After all the dreams I had the night before about Lulu, I wasn't sure making love to her had been real. It sure seemed real, though. Every kiss and every touch felt more real and true than anything I had ever experienced before. I inhaled sharply to prepare myself and smiled when I caught Lulu's scent. She was with me still and our passionate display of love had been real._

_My eyes opened slowly and I took in the sight of Lulu laying peacefully in my arms. The place was made for her and no one else would ever occupy it. I gently stroked her cheek with my free hand and she smiled in her sleep. There was a fluttering in my chest, all brought on because my touch could make the girl I loved smile, even when she was lost in dreams. My chest fluttered again because my brain wondered if she was possibly dreaming of me. I was a grown man and I was fluttering and I couldn't find it in my fluttering heart to care because anything Lulu made me do, I loved._

_Her breathing changed slightly and she shifted closer to me. I could tell she was waking up and I watched closely as her eyes finally blinked open, landing on me after awhile. She cocked her head to the side and smiled before closing her eyes again. I watched her open and shut her eyes several times before she grinned widely and gave me a short kiss._

"_You're here," Lulu said decisively._

"_I'm right where I should be," I replied and she smiled even brighter._

"_You're not going anywhere, right?" Lulu asked. "I mean, you're staying the night and everything?"_

"_If you're okay with that," I nodded._

"_Yeah, I want you to," Lulu said, kissing me again._

"_Good," I smiled._

"_Are you hungry?" Lulu wondered._

"_Actually, yes," I answered. "I worked up an appetite earlier."_

"_Me too," Lulu blushed. "Um, I'm not the best cook, but I have stuff to make chicken casserole if that sounds okay."_

"_Sounds great," I replied. "Do you want some help?"_

"_Do you cook?" Lulu countered._

"_No," I admitted. "But I can follow instructions."_

_She smiled and sat up, reaching on the floor and picking up my shirt. She slipped it over her shoulders and faced me. I buttoned it up, taking the time to kiss her bare skin a few times first. She pulled my lips back to hers and I gripped her hips as we kissed deeply. She wiggled out of my grasp and took off in the direction of what I assumed was the kitchen. I picked up my boxers and jeans from the floor and pulled them on quickly as I followed after her. As I stepped into the kitchen, I saw her leaning up on her tiptoes to get a dish from the shelf and I admired the view of her bare legs that I was getting._

"_I would ask if I could help, but I'm not sure I want to," I said, staring at her body as she shyly turned around._

"_Well, I think a more hands on approach would make us both happy," Lulu smirked._

_I arched an eyebrow at her and approached slowly, keeping my eyes trained on her body. She turned back to the cabinet and leaned up on her toes again just as I stepped up behind her. I ran my hands under the hem of the shirt and up her sides, smiling when she trembled slightly beneath my touch. I gripped her hips and lifted her off the ground, allowing her to retrieve the dish and place it on the counter in front of her. _

_I gently placed her back on the ground, but didn't remove my hands from her body. I spun her so she was facing me and locked her mouth in a heated kiss, all the while wondering if we would ever actually get to eat. She suddenly broke the kiss and pushed me back, playfully glaring at me. I pouted as she slapped my hands away as I reached for her again._

"_What?" I asked._

"_I'm hungry," Lulu said pointedly._

"_So am I," I replied._

"_Johnny," Lulu squealed as I pulled her towards me, taking her off guard. "Seriously, if we start this now...oh, wow."_

_I smiled as I continued kissing her neck, loving the fact that I could distract her so easily. I lifted her into my arms and was halfway out of the room when she finally came back to reality and pulled back. She was looking at me with such desire in her eyes, but I could tell there was more. I let her feet fall to the floor and she took a step away from me._

"_I want to eat," Lulu said slowly. "So we can talk and learn more about each other."_

"_Talking," I nodded. "I can do that."_

"_For how long?" Lulu asked, smiling at me._

"_However long you want," I answered. "As long as you promise when the talking is done, we get back to taking my clothes off you."_

"_Oh, we'll get back to taking your clothes off of both of us," Lulu laughed._

"_Hey, Lulu," I whispered, reaching out and grabbing her hand._

"_What?" she asked._

"_I just...I meant it before," I said softly. "I love you."_

"_I know," Lulu smiled. "We both meant it."_

"_Yeah?" I questioned._

"_Yes," Lulu affirmed. "I love you. I love loving you."_

_She linked our fingers and tugged me over to the counter as she started explaining how to make the casserole. I followed her directions and we made small talk, learning about each other's pasts as we prepared the meal. I set the table while Lulu got the casserole out of the oven and brought it over. She served the food out on our plates and I pulled out her chair for her so she could take a seat. I kissed her forehead gently and took my seat next to her._

_We ate in virtual silence and I just watched her for awhile. She was really the most beautiful woman in the world and she was mine. It was something I had to remind myself of because I couldn't have imagined ever getting so lucky to have someone like her even a little over a day before that. But I did have her and I wasn't letting go. We finished eating and she finally noticed my stare._

"_What are you looking at?" Lulu asked._

"_The perfect woman," I smiled._

"_You," Lulu muttered, blushing._

"_You're going to have to get used to those kinds of compliments," I advised. "I'm going to be telling you how amazing you are for a very long time."_

"_Before you decide I'm too amazing," Lulu said, a serious expression taking over her face. "We should talk about something."_

"_Okay," I said slowly. "What?"_

"_The whole mob thing," Lulu answered._

"_Lulu-" I tried._

"_And don't think I mean that we can't be together because of it," Lulu said quickly, cutting me off. "I actually already quit my job as the DA so there's no conflict or anything. I just think we need to talk about it."_

"_You didn't quit because of me, did you?" I wondered._

"_No," Lulu replied. "I wasn't happy doing that anymore."_

"_Good," I sighed. "Because the truth is, I'm not in the mob."_

"_You-you're not?" Lulu asked in shock._

"_No," I admitted. "I sold all of the questionable parts of my father's business to Sonny Corinthos the day after my dad's funeral."_

"_Funeral?" Lulu repeated._

"_You didn't think I actually just threw him in a hole out back did you?" I questioned. "Or whatever that story is."_

"_No, I just...I guess I never really thought about it," Lulu muttered. "How did he die?"_

"_Heart attack," I said softly. "In his sleep, one of the guards found him the next morning. He is buried on the property, next to my mother and close to his parents in a small cemetery that's there. But he's in a casket and in a professionally dug hole."_

"_Why doesn't anyone know about your deal with Sonny?" Lulu wondered._

"_I guess Sonny didn't want people to know," I shrugged. "I never had anyone to tell."_

"_But, you still do work," Lulu pointed out._

"_My dad did have legitimate holdings," I laughed. "Those I held on to and that's the business I run."_

"_Wow," Lulu smiled. "Well, that's nice to know."_

"_You're not a little disappointed?" I asked._

"_Why would I be disappointed?" she countered._

"_I'm not as dangerous or mysterious as I was before," I noted. "Could make me less attractive to you."_

"_Is that your way of trying to bait me into proving to you how attractive I find you?" Lulu wondered, standing up and climbing into my lap._

"_You did make a promise," I said, smirking at her._

"_Well, you'll learn when I make a promise, I keep it," Lulu smiled, kissing me teasingly._

"_Okay then," I grinned, running my hands from her back to the buttons of the shirt that was covering her._

"_Not so fast," Lulu giggled, catching my hands. "Dirty dishes come first."_

_She kissed me softly once and then was out of my arms before I could even react. She started clearing the table and I just sat there, watching her move around the kitchen. She rinsed all of the dishes and then loaded her dishwasher before turning back to me._

"_Done," she muttered, pushing herself up to sit on the counter._

_I knew what she was doing and I didn't have the will power to even pretend like it didn't effect me. I was in front of her in seconds, my mouth attacking her neck and practically tearing my shirt from her body. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I hoisted her into my arms._

"_Which way to the bedroom?" I whispered in her ear._

"_That way," she breathed, nodding toward a hallway. "Hurry."_

_I followed her directions and we fell into the bedroom, the door slamming behind us as we started a night full of passion and love._

"Um," Cooper mumbled, clearing his throat loudly.

"Too much information again?" I asked.

"No, it's just...you're not in the mob?" Cooper questioned.

"No, I'm not," I answered. "Does that screw things up for you?"

"It sort of takes away the motive," Cooper admitted. "I don't get why you'd let people think you were if you weren't."

"I just wanted to be left alone," I shrugged. "I figured if the fear of my craziness and lifestyle did that, why change the way people perceived me?"

"But you don't want to be left alone anymore?" Cooper wondered.

"No," I smiled. "I have Lulu and I'm starting to realize that alone is something I will never be okay with again."

"I-I'm...um...I'm sorry," Cooper stuttered.

"For what?" I asked.

"Judging you," Cooper replied. "And for listening to all the bad stories and assuming they were true."

"You're not the only person to do that," I muttered. "Don't sweat it."

"You know, if you and Lulu make it out of this and neither of you end up being guilty," Cooper said slowly. "I hope it all works out."

"Thanks," I smiled. "So do I."


	21. Salt the Scrambled Eggs

A/N – So, this chapter has a little shout out to some people and they will know it when they see it! Pretty much all you need to know about it, is don't be fooled by the ending. After this chapter, there are still four more to be posted. Thanks for reading! Leave me a lovely review!

**Chapter 21 – Salt the Scrambled Eggs**

_Lulu_

"How much longer is this going to take?" I asked, sighing loudly.

"We're almost done actually," Cooper replied.

"Really?" I countered.

"Yeah, I just need to know what you did this morning," Cooper answered. "Not necessarily mundane activities, but any conversations you may have had."

"Okay, I guess the day started with me waking up next to Johnny," I smiled...

_I felt Johnny's hand trailing up and down my bare back and I smiled into his chest. He was watching me again. I pressed a kiss against his chest before looking up at him. His brown eyes were roaming over my face, studying my every feature. I knew I would never stop feeling the butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me like that._

"_You're up early," Johnny muttered, tucking my hair behind my ears._

"_What time is it?" I asked._

"_Ten minutes 'til eight," Johnny answered._

"_I am up early," I giggled. "Why are you awake?"_

"_I usually wake up early," Johnny replied._

"_Well, not me," I yawned._

"_You can go back to sleep," Johnny suggested._

"_No, I want to be up if you're up," I smiled._

"_Lu, we have our whole lives to spend together," Johnny laughed. "You can grab a few more minutes of sleep."_

"_Our whole lives?" I questioned._

"_That's my plan," Johnny nodded. "Do you disagree?"_

"_No," I said, pushing myself to lay flat on my back. "But if you think you're getting out of the whole taking me on dates thing, you're wrong. Just because I'm already in love with you doesn't mean you shouldn't woo me."_

"_Woo you?" Johnny asked, propping himself up on his elbow._

"_Yes," I replied with a serious face. "I want dinner, dancing, movies. I want it all."_

"_What if I said no?" Johnny wondered._

"_That's a funny joke," I laughed, turning to face him. "You can't say no to me."_

"_You're right, I can't," Johnny sighed, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "But, I also don't want to say no. I want to take you to dinner, dancing and movies. I want to do it right. I love you."_

"_I like it when you say that," I muttered. "Is that really girly?"_

"_I hope not," Johnny chuckled. "Because I like it when you say it, too."_

"_Really?" I asked. "Do you want me to say it?"_

"_Yes," Johnny nodded._

"_You might have to earn it," I teased, pressing a kiss to his lips._

"_Earn it?" Johnny countered._

"_Earn it," I confirmed._

_Johnny smiled and pushed me to lay on my back. He settled his body into mine and began layering kisses across my neck and chest. His hands trailed down my body and I let my fingers comb through his hair. Just as I was about to pull him to me for a kiss, he stopped everything he was doing and smiled at me with a wicked glint in his eye._

"_What?" I asked._

"_I don't think I want to earn it out here," Johnny smirked._

"_Okay..." I muttered._

"_How big is your shower?" Johnny questioned, his smirk still very evident._

"_Big enough," I replied._

"_For two?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow at me._

"_You ask that like you have a plan," I smiled. "Care to tell?"_

"_I'd rather show," Johnny said, winking at me._

_Before I could respond, he covered my mouth in a passionate kiss and pulled me to him. He lifted me out of bed and headed for my bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping in without ever breaking our kiss. We made love in the shower, washed each other and made love again before finally shutting off the water. I dressed quickly and headed into the kitchen. I laughed as I found his shirt on the floor from the night before. I picked it up and folded it before setting it on the table. I went to work on scrambling us some eggs for breakfast, noticing the time and that we would need to leave for our interviews with Cooper soon._

"_Lulu," Johnny called._

"_Yes?" I asked, turning toward his voice._

"_Do you remember where we left my shirt?" Johnny questioned, walking into the kitchen._

"_We left it on the floor," I laughed, pointing to the table. "But I folded it this morning."_

"_I guess I should have come more prepared to spend the night," he chuckled, picking up the shirt._

"_No, because I'm not easy," I countered, turning back to the eggs._

"_It's okay to be easy for me," Johnny whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist._

"_Says the man who probably wants to skip our interviews this morning and just stay in bed," I replied, turning off the burner._

"_Don't you want the same thing?" Johnny asked, kissing my neck._

"_Well, of course, but I'm responsible," I giggled. "So, I'm putting aside what I want and doing what I said I would."_

"_I guess that's my cue to set the table so we can eat before we have to go, then," Johnny sighed, letting go of me and heading to the cabinet. "Are you worried about what's going to happen today?"_

_I paused in place as I contemplated his words. I had been so caught up in the love I was experiencing I forgot it was a possibility that Cooper could put one of us in prison today. I went back to what I was doing and shook my head._

"_I'm not going to let worry consume me," I answered. "I prefer letting our love consume me instead."_

"_As do I, beautiful," Johnny replied, kissing me softly on his way to the table._

_I brought the eggs over to the table and served them onto our plates as Johnny pulled some forks from the silverware drawer. He poked around some other cabinets, obviously looking for something but not saying a word. I watched him carefully as I took a seat at the table, giggling softly as he furrowed his brow._

"_What are you looking for?" I finally asked._

"_Where's your salt?" Johnny wondered._

"_Over the stove," I answered. "Why?"_

"_Because we're having scrambled eggs," Johnny replied, retrieving the salt and coming to sit at the table._

"_So?" I questioned._

"_You can't eat scrambled eggs without salt," Johnny scoffed. "It's impossible."_

"_Not for me," I laughed._

"_Well, you're very weird," Johnny muttered, salting his eggs._

"_You better take that back," I warned._

"_Hey, I love weird," Johnny smiled. "I love that you do things differently."_

"_I guess as long as you love it, I can accept you thinking I'm weird," I conceded. "But don't think you're not weird, too."_

"_How am I weird?" Johnny wondered._

"_You love me, and according to you, I'm weird," I explained. "Therefore, you're weird by association."_

"_As long as I'm with you, I'll take being weird," Johnny replied, leaning over and kissing me._

"_I love you," I said softly, kissing him back._

"_Good," Johnny said, pressing a kiss to my cheek before going to work on his eggs._

_We ate quickly and then washed the dishes together again. I sighed when I saw the time and Johnny just kissed me, saying so much without actually saying anything at all. He offered to drive and I agreed, climbing into his car to head to the PCPD. The ride went by quickly and we held hands the whole way. When we pulled up to the station, Johnny parked and hurried around to open my door for me. We walked inside with our fingers entwined, showing everyone that wanted to see that we were a united front. An officer led us to a hallway where Matt, Georgie, Maxie and Spinelli were already seated._

"_Hey, everyone," I muttered, taking a seat and pulling Johnny to sit beside me._

"_Hi," Maxie replied._

"_This is Johnny," I said, tipping my head toward him._

"_We know," Maxie smiled. "Spinelli told us all about him."_

"_Well, I doubt Spinelli knows, Maxie," I sighed._

"_It's okay, Lulu," Johnny said calmly. "Maxie, is it?"_

"_Yes," Maxie nodded. "I'm Lulu's best friend."_

"_Well, I would appreciate the opportunity to make my own impression on all of you," Johnny replied. "I love Lulu, though, and that's what matters most."_

_I smiled as Maxie, for once, had no reply. She sat back and I whispered to Johnny the names of everyone else. I also pressed a kiss to his cheek to let everyone know that I felt the same way about Johnny as he felt about me. Maxie opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could get it out, a door at the end of the hallway opened and Cooper stepped out._

"_Lulu," Cooper called. "You're first."_

"Well, that wasn't very eventful," Cooper noted.

"Are you disappointed we didn't talk about the case?" I asked.

"A little," Cooper admitted. "You weren't very helpful."

"We were preoccupied," I shrugged.

"I can tell," Cooper laughed.

"You're laughing?" I questioned.

"I don't necessarily get you and Zacchara," Cooper replied. "Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fact that you love him."

"So, am I free to go?" I wondered.

"Yes," Cooper nodded. "Thanks for coming in. Don't leave town."


	22. Innocent Bystander

A/N – We're getting to close to the answer you've all been waiting for! I'm excited to see reaction to this chapter! Please review, but first and foremost, enjoy!

**Chapter 22 – Innocent Bystander**

_Maxie_

"Can I go yet?" I asked.

"Not quite," Cooper replied. "Just walk me through this morning and then you can. Assuming you don't decide to finally admit to the crime."

"You think I did this?" I wondered.

That was not good.

"I think you're suspicious," Cooper covered.

Not that it was a good cover.

"Today," I sighed...

_I rolled over and sighed, realizing that today was the day I had to meet Cooper for my interview. I would prefer to never mention Dante's name again. I would prefer to never have to remember he was alive. Everyone was better off now that he was gone and I refused to be sorry about it._

_I climbed out of bed slowly and checked the clock. I had about an hour and a half before I had to be at the station, so I text Spinelli to meet me for breakfast in forty-five minutes. I jumped in the shower and took my time, letting the warm water relax me. After I finished, I toweled off and got dressed. I dried my hair and styled it to my liking before applying my makeup. When I decided I looked ready to be interviewed in a murder case, I left my apartment, locking the door behind me._

_I got into my car and turned on the radio, smiling as a song I loved filled the air. I drove to Kelly's slowly, enjoying the little things about Port Charles more than usual. When I reached the diner, I found a parking spot and entered, smiling when I saw Spinelli waiting for me._

"_Greetings, Maximista," Spinelli offered._

"_Hey, Spinelli," I replied. "How has your morning been?"_

"_Most enjoyable," Spinelli answered. "The Jackal partook in his morning relaxation ritual, followed by the most blissful message from my Maximista asking the Jackal to meet."_

"_I still don't know how you stick with yoga," I giggled. "I would not have the willpower."_

"_Maximista sells herself short in the worst way," Spinelli scoffed. "Maximista is the most dedicated person the Jackal knows when it comes to finishing what she starts."_

"_You're too sweet to me, Spinelli," I blushed._

_Before Spinelli could say anything else, the waitress came and took our orders. She quickly submitted the orders to the cook and then brought me a cup of coffee and Spinelli an orange soda._

"_Is Maximista in distress about today's activities?" Spinelli wondered._

"_Not really," I shrugged. "I'm just ready to get it over with. I have a feeling today will feel like it's never going to end, though."_

"_It will end eventually," Spinelli said softly. "But it will be trying for all involved."_

"_I feel bad, like I got everyone into this mess," I whispered._

"_Maximista is not to blame," Spinelli smiled._

"_I'm pretty much the reason everyone was at the bar in the first place," I sighed._

"_Maximista wanted everyone to have a blissful experience," Spinelli replied. "The Fallen Detective's presence is what ruined everything."_

"_Figures that such a jerk would cause everyone problems, even after he's dead," I said, rolling my eyes._

_Spinelli laughed and soon, I was laughing as well. The waitress brought our food and we ate quickly, deciding we wanted to get to the PCPD early. I wanted to see if Lulu and her new man would come in together or separately. When we finished eating, I offered to drive Spinelli over to the PCPD because it would make more sense. He agreed and I was thankful because truthfully, I didn't want to be alone at any point during the morning. I was getting very anxious about the interview._

_We arrived at the station and walked inside slowly. I asked the officer at the desk what we were supposed to do and he told us to wait while he got instructions. He returned to us shortly and led us into a hallway in the back. There were probably eight chairs and Spinelli and I took seats next to each other. He reached over and squeezed my hand, obviously able to tell I was nervous._

"_Do you think Cooper will start these early?" I asked._

"_The Irritating Investigator will more than likely delay the beginning until each suspect has arrived," Spinelli predicted._

_I nodded and contemplated saying something else, but before I could, Matt walked in. He took a seat next to me and patted my hand assuringly. Apparently everyone could tell that I was worried, which was sad because I had been the strong one in the beginning._

"_How was your date last night?" I asked, trying to distract myself._

"_It was great," Matt smiled. "We're going to do it again."_

_Before I could reply, Georgie walked in and sat on the other side of Matt._

"_Why do I get the feeling you were just talking about me?" Georgie questioned._

"_Because we were," I laughed. "I just asked Matt about your date."_

"_Oh," Georgie said, blushing slightly. "We had a great time."_

"_That's what he said," I noted. "He said you two are going out again."_

"_That's the plan," Georgie nodded._

"_Okay, I just had to check," I smirked. "Matt lies sometimes."_

"_I do not," Matt said indignantly._

"_I guess I better watch out," Georgie giggled._

"_Spinelli, help a guy out," Matt begged._

"_The Jackal is wise enough to know not to disagree with Maximista," Spinelli replied._

"_Uh oh," I teased. "Three to one. Looks like you lose, Matt."_

_Georgie, Spinelli and I laughed while Matt just shook his head. We fell into silence and it wasn't long before Lulu walked in, holding the hand of her new found companion. Johnny Zacchara wasn't at all bad to look at, but it was just so strange for Lulu to be so comfortable with someone so quickly._

"_Hey, everyone," Lulu offered, sitting down and pulling Johnny down next to her._

"_Hi," I replied._

"_This is Johnny," Lulu said, nodding toward Johnny._

"_We know," I smiled. "Spinelli told us all about him."_

_I realized how that sounded as soon as I said it and readied myself for defensive Lulu._

"_Well, I doubt Spinelli knows, Maxie," Lulu said, just as I predicted._

"_It's okay, Lulu," Johnny said, before I could clarify what I meant. "Maxie, is it?"_

"_Yes," I nodded. "I'm Lulu's best friend."_

"_Well, I would appreciate the opportunity to make my own impression on all of you," Johnny replied. "I love Lulu, though, and that's what matters most."_

_It was all I could do not to let my mouth drop open as the word love slipped from Johnny's lips. Lulu was smiling in an "I love you, too" kind of way and I was just in shock. I could hear Lulu explaining to Johnny who everyone else was and I found myself very happy for my friend. It wasn't hard at all to realize that Johnny was a good guy and nothing like the rumors that floated around about him. I was about to ask more about him when a door opened at the end of the hallway and Cooper appeared._

"_Lulu, you're first," Cooper called._

_Johnny kissed Lulu and she lingered near him, obviously a little nervous about the interview as well. She walked toward Coop slowly, holding Johnny's hand as long as possible. When she disappeared behind the door, Johnny glanced at the four of us sitting across from him._

"_Who's first?" Johnny asked._

"_Me," I replied._

"_Somehow, I'm not surprised," Johnny smiled_

"_I just want to know what happened between Friday and now," I shrugged. "I mean, love so soon?"_

"_Yeah," Johnny nodded. "It wasn't a plan or anything, but it happened. We're embracing it."_

"_So, obviously you're not a crazy mobster if Lulu is with you," Matt spoke up. "Why are there so many rumors?"_

"_I guess because my father was pretty crazy and everyone assumed I was the same way," Johnny answered. "I never argued with them because I didn't care what other people thought."_

"_You must now," I pointed out. "At least what we think, right?"_

"_Yes," Johnny replied. "But I'm hoping you will accept it when I say I'm nothing like anything you've heard. And I'll never hurt Lulu."_

"_I would say if you do, I'll kill you," I said pointedly. "But one investigation is enough at a time."_

"You might be the most interesting suspect I have," Cooper muttered.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Maybe you don't realize it, but you sound pretty guilty," Cooper answered.

"I'm not," I said, before I could think it through.

I wasn't supposed to say anything. Cooper couldn't know that I was innocent because then he might think someone else was guilty.

"Who is?" Cooper asked.

"I don't know," I said shakily.

"I believe it wasn't you," Cooper noted. "But I also believe you know who did it."


	23. The Last Interview

A/N – Happy Anniversary Jolu fans! It's been three years since Johnny Zacchara first appeared on screen and stole Lulu's heart right along with all of ours! This is my little gift to everyone! Hope you enjoy and please leave a review!

**Chapter 23 – The Last Interview**

_Johnny_

"So, what do you think?" Cooper asked. "You ready to finish up?"

"More than ready," I sighed.

"Great," Cooper replied. "I've heard Lulu's version of this morning, but I'd like to hear your side. You can pick it up from the talk in the kitchen."

"Wow, you're making it easy," I laughed...

"_Lulu," I called, wandering toward the kitchen._

"_Yes?" she replied._

"_Do you remember where we left my shirt?" I asked, catching a glimpse of her by the stove and smiling instantly._

"_We left it on the floor," Lulu laughed, pointing to the table. "But I folded it this morning."_

"_I guess I should have come more prepared to spend the night," I noted, picking up the shirt._

"_No, because I'm not easy," Lulu replied, turning back to whatever she was cooking._

"_It's okay to be easy for me," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her waist and noticing she was making scrambled eggs._

"_Says the man who probably wants to skip our interviews this morning and just stay in bed," Lulu said, turning off the burner._

"_Don't you want the same thing?" I asked, nibbling on her neck._

"_Well, of course, but I'm responsible," Lulu giggled. "So, I'm putting aside what I want and doing what I said I would."_

"_I guess that's my cue to set the table so we can eat before we have to go, then," I sighed._

_I let my arms fall from around her waist and headed to the cabinet. I wanted to ask her a question, but I was slightly hesitant. I didn't want to ruin what could very well be the last morning we spent together should something go amiss during the interviews. I decided it was best to just ask and not over think it._

"_Are you worried about what's going to happen today?" I questioned._

_She paused for a second and I retrieved the plates and turned to her, waiting to hear her answer._

"_I'm not going to let worry consume me," she answered. "I prefer letting our love consume me instead."_

"_As do I, beautiful," I replied, stopping to kiss her before setting the plates on the table._

_Lulu served the eggs onto our plates while I got the silverware. I decided to grab the salt as well before taking a seat. I checked a few cabinets, but kept coming up empty. I heard Lulu laugh and I frowned, knowing she was probably wondering what I was doing._

"_What are you looking for?" Lulu asked._

"_Where's your salt?" I wondered._

"_Over the stove," Lulu answered. "Why?"_

"_Because we're having scrambled eggs," I said, finally getting the salt and taking a seat._

"_So?" Lulu questioned._

"_You can't eat scrambled eggs without salt," I scoffed. "It's impossible."_

"_Not for me," Lulu laughed._

"_Well, you're very weird," I muttered, salting my eggs._

"_You better take that back," Lulu warned._

"_Hey, I love weird," I said, smiling at her. "I love that you do things differently."_

"_I guess as long as you love it, I can accept you thinking I'm weird," Lulu conceded. "But don't think you're not weird, too."_

"_How am I weird?" I asked._

_I loved when we bantered like this. I loved everything about everything with Lulu._

"_You love me, and according to you, I'm weird," Lulu explained. "Therefore, you're weird by association."_

"_As long as I'm with you, I'll take being weird," I muttered, leaning over and kissing her._

"_I love you," Lulu replied, kissing me again._

"_Good," I smiled, kissing her cheek._

_After we finished eating, I helped her with the dishes once more. It was so nice how even when we were doing something simple, I could feel the love between us. All too soon, it was time for us to go to our interviews. I drove us, making sure to keep one hand in Lulu's the whole way. When we got to the PCPD, I opened Lulu's door and took her hand once more as we walked inside. We were led to a hallway full of people I recognized from the bar on Friday night. They were all staring at Lulu and me and I figured it was safe to assume they weren't expecting us to show up together._

"_Hey, everyone," Lulu offered, sitting down and tugging me down next to her._

"_Hi," one of the girls replied._

"_This is Johnny," Lulu said, introducing me._

"_We know," the same girl smiled. "Spinelli told us all about him."_

"_Well, I doubt Spinelli knows, Maxie," Lulu sighed._

"_It's okay, Lulu," I said soothingly, not wanting her to be stressed before her interview. "Maxie, is it?"_

"_Yes," she nodded. "I'm Lulu's best friend."_

"_Well, I would appreciate the opportunity to make my own impression on all of you," I replied. "I love Lulu, though, and that's what matters most."_

_I looked at Lulu and saw her smiling. Maxie was apparently really surprised by my words and I couldn't blame her. I'm sure hearing me admit my love for Lulu was very strange for her. Lulu pointed out the others to me and told me their names. I noticed that Maxie was about to say something when a door opened and out came the detective, Cooper._

"_Lulu, you're first," Cooper called._

_I kissed Lulu softly, giving her all the strength she needed. She squeezed my hand and stood up slowly. Our fingertips slipped from each other as she walked away and I watched her enter the interrogation room. When she disappeared behind the door, I turned to the four pairs of prying eyes._

"_Who's first?" I asked, wondering which one would question me first, but knowing it was probably going to be Maxie._

"_Me," Maxie said, as I expected._

"_Somehow, I'm not surprised," I smiled_

"_I just want to know what happened between Friday and now," Maxie shrugged. "I mean, love so soon?"_

"_Yeah," I nodded. "It wasn't a plan or anything, but it happened. We're embracing it."_

"_So, obviously you're not a crazy mobster if Lulu is with you," Matt spoke up. "Why are there so many rumors?"_

"_I guess because my father was pretty crazy and everyone assumed I was the same way," I answered. "I never argued with them because I didn't care what other people thought."_

"_You must now," Maxie pointed out. "At least what we think, right?"_

"_Yes," I answered honestly. "But I'm hoping you will accept it when I say I'm nothing like anything you've heard. And I'll never hurt Lulu."_

"_I would say if you do, I'll kill you," Maxie said pointedly. "But one investigation is enough at a time."_

_We all laughed at her joke and continued talking about things. I learned about all of them and they learned about me a little. I could see why Lulu was friends with all of them. And I could feel that, assuming we all made it through the interrogations, I would become friends with them as well._

"You like these people enough to cover for them?" Cooper asked.

"Cover what?" I dodged.

"Right," Cooper laughed. "After all this time, you still won't give even the smallest hint. That's not very helpful to me."

"I'm just glad this is finally all over," I sighed.

"What makes you think I don't think you did it?" Cooper wondered.

"You asked if I was covering for someone," I pointed out.

"Right," Cooper nodded. "You're very perceptive. Maybe you should be doing these interviews."

"Look, I don't want to do anything other than be with Lulu," I replied.

"I know," Cooper muttered. "I know."


	24. Case Closed

A/N – An update! And it's Cooper! I'm not going to prolong things, but I am going to ask for a comment! It would be much appreciated!

**Chapter 24 – Case Closed**

_Cooper_

I sighed and covered my face with my hands as the door closed. The interviews were over. I had absolutely no more questions left in my mind to ask. I had little at all going through my mind at this point. All six of my suspects had proven to be impossible to read. It was annoying to me that I had spent the better part of my day asking questions, only to be given answers that put me on the road to nowhere.

Maxie may have been the worst. Her absolute hatred for Dante had made her my prime suspect. Especially because of their confrontation on the night he died. But then...

"_You might be the most interesting suspect I have," I admitted to Maxie._

"_What? Why?" Maxie wondered with fear in her eyes for the first time in the interview._

_I decided to play on her fear. Fear brought out the truth sometimes._

"_Maybe you don't realize it, but you sound pretty guilty," I said, giving her an icy stare._

"_I'm not," Maxie said immediately and I knew she was telling the truth._

_I decided to press it. Take a chance._

"_Who is?" I asked._

"_I don't know," she exhaled._

_Now that one I wasn't sure I believed._

It was all so damn confusing. I mean, if Maxie didn't do it, who did? Hunter? Sure, the guy had a temper, but he also seemed to genuinely care about his freedom. And not everyone who has a temper is a killer. I have a temper. I just felt so unsure of everything and it was the worst feeling in the world. So helpless.

I decided to go back to Hunter. There was something definitely off where he was concerned. I just wasn't sure what. I needed to make a plan about how to go about further investigating him. A plan. He had a plan...

"_Let's order and then we can talk about Dante being dead," Maxie suggested_

"_Do we have to talk about that?" Georgie questioned. _

"_It effects us," Maxie said decisively. _

"_The Jackal is in agreement with Fair Maximista," Spinelli offered. "The delicate situation of the Departed Fallen Detective is a matter of utmost importance." _

"_Spinelli's right," Matt added. "We don't have to dwell on it, but we need to talk about what we're going to say when we start getting questioned." _

"_You mean, collaborate a story?" Georgie asked. _

"_Not collaborate," Matt said. "Just make sure we all remember as much as possible. And make sure no one paints anyone else in a negative light unnecessarily." _

"_That sounds like collaborating," Maxie laughed. _

"_The Jackal does not believe the Doting Doctor wishes to compromise the investigation of the Law Abiding Ones," Spinelli noted. "He is only suggesting we prioritize the information we relay." _

"_Exactly," Matt agreed. _

"_Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Maxie muttered. _

"_I guess not," Georgie sighed._

I should have forced one of them to tell me exactly what the plan included. But I knew they wouldn't tell me. Well, maybe someone would have told me, but it wouldn't have been Hunter. But maybe Georgie would have told me. She was easier to rattle. Of course, I had pressed her about it and she been evasive enough to dodge me...

"_So, you agreed to the conspiracy, too?" I asked. _

"_It's not a conspiracy," Georgie said defensively. "I've been completely honest with you today."_

"_Complete honesty is when you say everything," I said softly. "Can you really look me in the eye and tell me you haven't kept some things to yourself?"_

"_Would it matter if I did?" Georgie challenged. "You're so busy trying to solve this case by any means necessary that you're being paranoid with the wrong people." _

"_And who are the right people?" I wondered._

_I stared at her with hard eyes, willing her to come clean._

"_I don't know," Georgie said, matching my stare with a glare of her own. "But it's not me."_

If she wasn't one of the right people, did that mean she was innocent? Was that her way of telling me she wasn't guilty? But then again, she lied about it being a conspiracy, so maybe she was lying about her innocence. Every detail made the entire thing even more confusing and I was beginning to think there was just no solving this case. Maybe if I had Spinelli's computer hacking help.

Ah, Spinelli. He was an interesting character to say the least. Once you deciphered his language, he seemed to be a normal enough person. Someone who was fiercely loyal and loved with all his heart. In my experience, those were the ones you had to watch out for. And he did look awfully guilty at one point...

"_How did you know Dante wouldn't live to be happy?" I asked. _

"_A lifestyle so shallow as his was never to be rewarded," Spinelli explained. _

"_Really?" I questioned. "Because it sounds to me like you planned on killing him." _

"_The Jackal begs to differ," Spinelli replied. _

"_You said you were angry with Dante because of how he treated Maxie and you wanted to do something about it," I surmised. "Then he winds up dead. I can sell that to a jury faster than a Girl Scout sells Thin Mints."_

Of course, I was exaggerating slightly, trying to strike some fear into Spinelli. And it had worked slightly. But not enough for him to give me the real killer's name. Which meant, it either was him or he didn't know who it was. The problem was, if a genius like Spinelli hadn't found any evidence, there wasn't any. And if there was no evidence and no obvious suspects, there was no solving the case.

At one time, I had thought of Lulu as being an obvious suspect. Early in the interview, I had learned she definitely had opportunity to kill him and I found that very suspicious...

"_So where did you go?" I asked, looking at her intently. _

"_What do you mean?" Lulu wondered. _

"_After you danced with Zacchara you said you went somewhere, but didn't say where," I clarified. "Where did you go?" _

"_Oh," Lulu said softly. "I...um...wanted to freshen up."_

_A stutter._

"_Why didn't you say that before?" I questioned. _

"_It didn't seem important," Lulu answered._

_A too quick answer._

"_Alright," I sighed._

At that point, I was almost sure she was guilty. But the more I learned about her relationship with Zacchara, the more I doubted that. Of course, that could have been their plan. They could have decided together to fool me by acting so in love they were oblivious to everything else, just so one of them could get away.

It was just hard to believe all of it was an act.

Especially from Zacchara's side. I've known my share of mobsters and even though he claims not to be one, he does know their routines. But it didn't stop him from grinning like an idiot any time he said Lulu's name. What I didn't understand was, how could he really not be a mobster and keep it a secret? It was that reveal that took Zacchara off my suspect list...

"_No, it's just...you're not in the mob?" I questioned._

"_No, I'm not," Johnny answered. "Does that screw things up for you?"_

"_It sort of takes away the motive," I admitted. "I don't get why you'd let people think you were if you weren't."_

"_I just wanted to be left alone," Johnny shrugged. "I figured if the fear of my craziness and lifestyle did that, why change the way people perceived me?"_

"_But you don't want to be left alone anymore?" I wondered._

"_No," Johnny smiled. "I have Lulu and I'm starting to realize that alone is something I will never be okay with again."_

Zacchara and Lulu. Hunter and Georgie. Spinelli and Maxie. Three couples who would all probably lie for each other and who all probably did lie to me about Dante's murder. I just didn't know if I cared anymore. None of them deserved to lose the lives they had just because Dante had lost his.

I was making a decision. One that may be frowned upon by the few that actually cared about Dante, but one that was necessary. I was closing this case. Unsolved murder. No evidence and no reliable suspects. No reason to falsely accuse anyone. Maybe one day, someone would finally fold under the guilt, but if not, I wouldn't lose sleep. The truth was, people might just be better off without Dante. And I wasn't going to waste my time on bringing justice to a man who made a mockery of the justice system while he was alive. So that was that.

Case closed.

A/N (part two) – Don't come after me with pitchforks just yet! There is an epilogue. ;)


	25. Epilogue

A/N – Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story! It's been a crazy ride, but I really loved doing it! I think this is the best ending I could give it! Let me know what you think!

**Epilogue – A Good Night**

_Jason_

I smiled as I took my seat amongst the large crowd of people. It was amazing how many were gathered for this occasion. Not that it wasn't a happy occasion.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Johnny smiled, stopping by to shake my hand.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," I assured him. "How do you feel?"

"A little nervous," Johnny admitted. "But mostly I just can't wait for this day to be over."

"Don't rush through it," I advised. "You're going to want to remember your wedding day for your whole life."

"That's true," Johnny replied. "I just want to see Lulu."

"How much longer until the ceremony starts?" I wondered.

"About five minutes," Johnny answered. "I guess I should stop greeting people and get to my spot."

"Maybe," I chuckled.

"Thanks again for being here," Johnny offered, making his way to the front of the church.

I watched him shake hands with Matt and Spinelli, both men standing up for him and then turn to the minister. They shook hands as well and Johnny finally turned his eyes to the door. He was very anxious and I couldn't help but laugh. In the past year that I had known Johnny, this day was all he thought about. I couldn't believe it had been an entire year...

_I took a swig of my beer and turned toward the sound of people entering. I recognized Lulu, the district attorney; Spinelli, a kid who had done some freelance work for me; Matt, a doctor who worked on me once at the hospital and of course Georgie and Maxie, the police commissioner's daughters. The other man with them, obviously Lulu's boyfriend, I had never seen before._

"_Another beer?" Coleman asked, coming to check on me._

_I had planned on leaving, but for some reason knew I should stay._

"_Yeah," I nodded._

_I watched them put a couple of tables together and heard Maxie order two pitchers of beer for them. They seemed to be celebrating something. I decided to listen in, knowing it couldn't hurt and that I might need some information on any one of them at a given time._

"_So, what did Cooper say to you?" Maxie asked, looking around._

"_Which one of us?" Lulu countered._

"_Well, anyone," Maxie shrugged._

"_The Irritating Investigator simply forbade the Jackal from leaving town," Spinelli replied._

"_Same here," everyone said in unison._

_Why were they all being questioned?_

"_So, do you think he knows who did it?" Matt wondered._

"_Surely if he had figured it out, he would have made an arrest," Georgie reasoned._

"_Well, don't be so quiet, Lulu," Maxie said, giving her a look. "Don't you know how this stuff works?"_

"_I'm not the district attorney anymore, Maxie," Lulu answered. "I quit. For all I know, Cooper could just be biding his time, waiting for some forensics to confirm what he already believes."_

_I couldn't believe what I had heard. Lulu quitting was a complete shock._

"_I think if he had a clear suspect, one of us would be in handcuffs," Maxie argued. "Since we're not, I think we should celebrate."_

"_Here? Where Dante died?" Georgie asked._

_How were they all mixed up in the murder of Sonny's son?_

"_Well, if we have nothing to hide, then we have no reason to not want to be at Jake's," Maxie replied._

"_Maxie's right," Matt said, looking between them. "Life goes on."_

_I could feel my eyebrows knit in confusion. They were all so on edge and I didn't understand why. My senses spiked up when someone took a seat next to me. The guy from the group that I didn't know._

"_You have a problem?" he questioned, staring at me intently._

"_No," I answered, taking a drink._

"_Seems sort of like you do," he muttered. "Or do you just eavesdrop for kicks?"_

_I turned and took a good look at the man next to me, noticing the lack of fear in his eyes. He had no clue who I was and because of that, I knew he was innocent. He was trying to protect all of them from me listening to anything I shouldn't hear._

"_Johnny," Lulu said, coming over and looking worried. "Come sit down."_

"_In a minute, Lulu," Johnny said, smiling at her. "I'm getting to know this guy."_

"_You don't need to know Jason," Lulu said seriously, glancing sideways at me._

"_Why do you know him?" Johnny asked, the jealousy obvious in his voice._

"_She's tried me for a murder or two," I answered with a smile._

_Johnny's hand immediately locked around Lulu's waist in a protective stance and he met my eyes, still showing no fear._

"_You kill people?" Johnny asked._

"_Apparently not," I replied. "Lulu's a damn good lawyer, but I'm still free."_

"_Johnny, can we please just sit down?" Lulu begged._

"_You kill people," Johnny said again and I could tell his mind was turning._

"_Johnny?" Lulu questioned, wondering what was going on._

"_He kills people, Lulu," Johnny muttered, catching her gaze. "Think about it."_

_I stood up slowly and turned to walk over to their table. I could feel Johnny follow me, obviously afraid I was going to hurt them, but I just pulled up a chair and sat down._

"_You two have a seat," I said, glancing between the couple and their chairs. "I'm only going to say this once."_

The music starting snapped me out of my trance. I watched Georgie and Maxie walk down the aisle first and then stood as the wedding march began. I took a peek at Johnny who looked as if he was ready to faint if Lulu didn't come through the doors immediately. Luckily for him and the rest of us, she did. She looked beautiful in her dress and I smiled at her when she passed me in her march down the aisle. When she got close enough, Johnny immediately reached out his hand and she took it eagerly.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Johnny Zacchara and Lulu Spencer," the minister began.

I tuned him out in favor of watching Johnny and Lulu. It was pretty clear they weren't listening to him either. They were smiling at each other and I watched Johnny lean in and whisper something to her. She replied and it wasn't long before they seemed to be having a complete conversation with each other as the minister continued to speak. The crowd started to chuckle at their obvious disinterest in the proceedings of the ceremony. The minister cleared his throat and everyone laughed as Johnny and Lulu finally stopped talking to each other.

"Your vows, Johnny," the minister repeated.

"Oh," Johnny smiled, looking back to Lulu. "I guess I should have thought about this beforehand."

"Matt told me you were up all night," Lulu replied with a smirk.

"Figures," Johnny sighed, rolling his eyes. "Truthfully, I was up all night. But not because I didn't know what to say, but more that I had too much to say. I could talk about how much I love Lulu all day and I probably have on more than one occasion."

Everyone laughed as Matt made a show of nodding and rolling his eyes.

"I guess the best I can do is tell you that I loved Lulu from the first sight of her," Johnny continued. "That sounds really cheesy, but it's true. I have never been drawn to anyone the way I am with Lulu. And it only gets better as time goes on. I realize today we officially start spending the rest of our lives together, but it won't be enough for me. I could never have enough time with her."

A few contented sighs rang out in the crowd and I smiled as Lulu let go of his hands in favor of wrapping her arms around his waist. He mimicked her action and I shook my head at their disregard of tradition. It was typical them.

"Lulu, would you like to do your vows now?" the minister asked.

"I don't know what to add, Johnny just said everything," Lulu laughed and so did everyone else. "But, I guess if I need to say something, I can say that I am experiencing the best day of my life. Until tomorrow, when that becomes the best one. Because if there's one thing I've learned about being with Johnny is it just gets better over time. Everything started out so fast and in the most unlikely of circumstances, we came together. And I know nothing can tear us apart."

My mind drifted to those circumstances she spoke of as I remembered my role in their beginning...

"_You killed Dante?" Lulu whispered in shock._

"_Could you not say that out loud?" I said, rolling my eyes and looking around._

"_But why?" Maxie asked._

"_He was a traitor to Sonny and the organization," I answered. "He was still bitter about Sonny not being there when he grew up, but as a cop he couldn't get to us. He started working for Alcazar and pretended to quit to work with Sonny."_

"_The Godfather simply allowed Stone Cold to rid the world of his toxic waste of a son?" Spinelli questioned and I raised my eyebrows in confusion._

"_He's asking if Sonny gave the order," Johnny clarified._

"_How did you know that?" Matt, Maxie and Lulu all asked in unison._

"_Not that hard to figure out," Johnny laughed._

"_No, he didn't," I replied. "Sonny has no idea and he's not happy about it either. I'm here right now on his orders to find out who it was."_

"_So, what are you going to tell him?" Matt wondered._

"_Well, now that I know that all of you were suspects, I'm going to have to clear you to him," I sighed. "Other than that, I'll just have to come up empty."_

"_I can't believe you're the reason I spent the entire weekend stressed out," Maxie complained. "I could get a wrinkle."_

"_Maxie, this isn't about you," Georgie said, rolling her eyes. "Thankfully."_

"_What does that mean?" Maxie asked._

"_Well, I thought you did it," Georgie admitted. "I was trying to cover for you."_

"_Really?" Maxie replied in shock. "I thought it was Johnny."_

"_What? Why me?" Johnny wondered._

"_Because you were the only mob guy involved before now," Maxie explained. "I was really worried about Lulu."_

"_Lulu's safe with me," Johnny said confidently. "Although, I have to admit, I thought it may have been you, Lulu."_

"_And you still said you loved me?" Lulu questioned._

"_I do love you," Johnny smiled. "I just couldn't figure out why you quit as DA before finding out I wasn't involved in the mob unless you had another reason."_

"_It was for me," Lulu shrugged. "If I ever kill someone you will be the first to know."_

_Everyone rolled their eyes as they kissed affectionately and I started to wonder why I was still sitting there._

"_I actually thought it was Matt," Lulu said, leaning against Johnny._

"_I could see that," Maxie nodded._

"_Ouch," Matt scoffed. "I thought it was Spinelli."_

"_Oh, come on, he couldn't harm a fly," Georgie argued._

"_Hey, say what you will, but the Jackal is very protective of his Maximista," Matt replied._

"_The Doting Doctor is most assuredly correct in his statement," Spinelli nodded. "However, the Jackal did not need protect his Maximista this time."_

"_Well, who did you think did it, Spinelli?" I asked out of curiosity._

"_Sweet Georgie," Spinelli muttered, glancing at her. "Although she is very sweet by nature, her bond with her sister is strong. I feared she would do the worst, in simple anger at the Fallen Detective."_

"_I'm just glad it wasn't any of us," Lulu sighed before looking at me. "No offense, but you know what you're doing and if it was one of us, we would have gotten caught."_

"_None of you are going to turn me in?" I asked._

"_No," they all answered one by one._

"_I think we all gained more than we lost this weekend," Johnny said, smiling as he looked at Lulu. "And we might not have if it wasn't for what you did."_

I smiled to myself as I watched Johnny and Lulu share their first kiss as husband and wife. Everyone was applauding and I joined in, happy to see them officially married because I knew it made them happy. They were my friends now, as were Matt and Georgie, who were getting engaged any day now if I had a guess. Spinelli had also come to work for me after I realized what an asset he could be. The only one I wouldn't really consider a friend was Maxie, but that was only because she drove me crazy most of the time. Of course, she drove everyone crazy, so maybe even she was a friend to me.

I think I did the right thing last year at Jake's. Dante needed to die. And if by removing his life, I helped bring together two of the most in love people I know, then I got two birds with one stone. Dante, the "reformed son" who was still after his father, this time by working for a rival organization, breathed his last. And Johnny and Lulu, one soul that was separated until that night, breathed their first breath together. All in all, it was a good night.

**A/N (part 2) – So, a few people guessed it was someone entirely different! Congrats to those who did! And to those who think I cheated, I guess I sort of did. But what's a murder mystery without a huge twist? ;)**


End file.
